Addiction
by ShanMah
Summary: Have you ever wondered how Vegeta and Bulma ended up having Trunks, and how they managed to live together? Yes, me too - and here is my attempt at finding an answer. I promise the story is better than the summary!
1. The other one

**Disclaimer:** All right, all right, I'll admit it, I don't own DB, DBZ, the characters, etc, and I'm not even getting paid for writing this very humble fanfiction. SHAME!

**Rating:** M (sexuality and characters with bad mouth, how's that? Uhhh?)

**Pairing:** Vegeta/Bulma. 'Cause they're so funny.

**Context:** Ever wondered how the heck they had ended up having Trunks (I mean, that seemed quite... unlikely to happen), and how he ended up being quite "fond" of her, as he admitted himself? Well I _did_ wonder, and he's my attempt at finding a proper answer.

**Warning:** English isn't my mothertongue: French is, but I know only the Japanese and English version of DBZ, therefore it feels so awkward to write it in French, I just can't. So you may see some silly mistakes in that story (if you do, feel free to tell me of course, I'll correct it ASAP). However my Yu Gi Oh and Harry Potter readers seem happy about my English writing skills, so I'm quite confident you'll manage to understand what I'm writing ^^'

**Addiction**  
**Chapter 1: The other one**

"Hey, Vegeta!" a cheery voice said.

Bulma's face had just appeared on the screen of his gravity room. He grunted at the sound of her voice and turned to look at her.

"What the hell do you want, woman?! Can't you see I'm busy?"

She flushed and her blue eyes darkened with fury.

"The name's _Bulma,_ and I just wanted to tell you that dinner's ready."

She sighed and crossed her arms angrily.

"Next time I'll just let you starve."

Her face disappeared from the huge screen. Vegeta sighed heavily, but he stopped the training program anyway - for he _was_ really hungry after all. No, actually, he was starving, like she said. _Oh well. She is kind of useful_, he thought as he got out the capsule.

* * *

He sneered with disdain when he noticed that Yamcha - one of the most worthless people Vegeta had ever seen - was sitting at the table, calmly eating and speaking with Bulma, who was standing in front of the oven. Her blue hair was tied up on her head and she was wearing a short, tight red dress.

_That's indecent._

She smiled at him (which was even more indecent), but the prince only raised an eyebrow at the sight of the plates on the table.

"Tell the weakling to get the hell away from my food."  
"Fat aw fou chrying to chay?" Yamcha asked, his mouth full.

He swallowed.

"What are you trying to say?" he repeated more clearly.

Vegeta smirked and dropped on a chair, as far from him as he possibly could without putting himself to far away from the egg rolls. They smelled absolutely delicious. He had to give some credit to that female for at least knowing how to cook properly.

"Vegeta, don't be silly," she said reproachfully. "I made it for both of you."

He blinked, stared at the food on the table, and then looked at her again.

"You must be kidding. Unless the weakling eats like a bird, this is never going to be enough."  
"Who are you calling a weakling?"

Bulma sighed heavily as she bent over to get a plate out of the oven.

"I'm not done cooking, dammit! I know you Saiyans eat like ten normal people, so will you just shove some delicious food in your mouth and stop complaining?"

She put the perfect looking lasagna on the table. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he stared at his new victim. That lasagna smelled even better than the egg rolls he had been putting in his plate since he had spotted them.

_Target locked._ Vegeta picked a huge part of lasagna before Yamcha could realised he had actually moved.

"Everytime I cook for you or Goku, I feel sorry for Chi-Chi. Two Saiyans must be a pain in the ass to feed on a daily basis."  
"I still don't get were they put all this," Yamcha said to Bulma, not taking care of Vegeta anymore.

Being called a weakling or a worthless piece of shit every minute had somehow lost its charm after so much time. At least he could pretend he didn't hear the Saiyan, which usually annoyed him a lot.

"Especially Vegeta. He's so small."

Vegeta swallowed his food and shot him a deadly glare. Him, small? _Small??_ **_Small?!! _**Really, was that dumbass of an Earthling serious about this?

"Just let me lay one punch on your stupid face and I'm sure even _you_ will be able to see where the food goes. If you survive, that is."  
"No one's going to lay a punch on anyone's face," Bulma said with a severe gaze at both of them. "And, more importantly, no one is going to kill anyone. Get it?"  
"Yeah, yeah," Yamcha mumbled, while Vegeta said nothing because his mouth was too full.

Yamcha blinked.

"Oh, great - Bulma, do you have some more egg rolls? Please? Vegeta took all of them."

Somehow, his words seemed to upset her. And, if Vegeta had learned something on Earth, it was that most female were mentally unstable, and that you did _not_ want to cross an upset woman whatsoever. There was no telling what they could do when they were pissed.

"Well eat something else!" her voice snapped back angrily. "It's not like the table isn't full, and I'm not your goddamn servant!"

Yamcha blinked as she turned around. Vegeta did nothing but smirk with content as he ate another egg roll. For some reason, Bulma would allow him to ask for more food or more anything-he-wanted, but would get angry when asked the same very thing by anyone else (especially that Yamcha guy), and would make it very clear to that person that she was not there to serve him or her. Oddly, she seemed to like taking care of him, which actually felt kind of good for him. Of course, he'd rather die than admit it or show it in any way.

Speaking of taking care of him...

"Ew, Vegeta," she said while putting one last noodle plate on the table. "You really smell like you trained a lot, if you know what I mean. You want me to prepare a bath for you?"

Vegeta smirked with content again, but this time only mentally.

"Sure," he replied in a voice that was meant to sound like a I-don't-care-of-course voice.

Bulma simply walked away, and Yamcha stared at her, looking dumbfounded.

_Or just dumb_, Vegeta thought. Indeed, that fitted him better.

"Well I'll be damned. She yells at me because I ask politely for some egg rolls and then she just offers you a bath. I'm supposed to be her boyfriend for godness' sake."

Vegeta's lips arched in a cunning smile.

"Well, what do you know. Maybe I finally found someone who respects my status as a prince."

Yamcha's hand closed in a tight fist, but he said nothing and left the table.

**End of the chapter:** And voila! Hope you liked it, please review, and all that... ^^ this is quite short but it's only the beginning. I feel I won't have super-long chapters though, but at least they'll be published more often ;)


	2. Steamy dreams

**Chapter 2: Steamy dreams**

Vegeta sat in the bath and closed his dark eyes. The hot water sure felt good on his tense muscles after such a long training. Now he was really starting to believe that female Earthlings were very useful - at least that one was. Plus, her tendency to take care of him seemed to annoy that other guy, which (although he didn't really know why) made it even better. He sighed and leaned his head lazily on the wall behind him. There was no more cold glare, frowning eyebrows or cunning smirk on his face: he was perfectly calm, almost like he was meditating. It was the only moment in his day where he allowed himself to just drop the mask and relax - probably because no one would see him anyway.

Well... _normally_, that is.

Vegeta quickly raised straight, splashing warm water all around the bath when the door suddenly opened. Bulma blinked.

"Woah, you're really jumpy," she said.  
"I'm jumpy?! You just bump into the bathroom and call me jumpy? What the hell are you doing here anyway?! I'm _naked_, in case you didn't notice!"

What? Naked? Oh, yes, indeed. He was taking a bath after all. Bulma's cheeks turned to deep pink (she blamed it on the hot temperature in the bathroom), but she didn't apologize or leave. As a matter of fact, she didn't even look away from him. She wanted it - of course she wanted it, she could not_ possibly_ be drooling over _Vegeta_ - but for some odd reason, her blue eyes wouldn't move away from his torso. _He's got so many scars..._

She cleared her throat.

"I just realised I hadn't given you anything clean to wear. You can't just put back your armour, it stinks as much as you did. Here."

She put some clothes next to the sink.

"I hope this isn't _pink_ this time," he grunted.

Bulma rolled her eyes. That was so long ago and yet he kept complaining about that _only_ time when she had given him a pink shirt.

"No, it's not, you big baby."

She turned away and walked towards the door.

"Although you looked kinda cute in pink."  
"KINDA CUTE? I'M A _WARRIOR_, NOT A TEENAGE FEMALE - I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CUTE!"

Bulma laughed a little bit and left, closing the door behind her. Vegeta grunted and crossed his arms, leaning his head on the white wall again.

_Damn woman_.

* * *

Hours later, Bulma dropped on her bed, exhausted. She had been working in her lab with her father for all the rest of the evening, although he had often noticed that his daughter's brilliant mind was somehow distracted. He figured it was because of Yamcha. Ah, Bulma was certainly very fond of that young man! Surely they would marry soon.

Well the old man couldn't possibly be more wrong.

For some reason, it had nothing to do with her boyfriend, by everything to do with Vegeta sitting in his bath. Geez, those _muscles_... now she knew where his hours of training and her egg rolls were going. She couldn't help but try to imagine how it would be to feel them pressed against her body. Bulma flushed and mentally slapped herself. His arms around her waist... she'd feel so protected. Another pair of mental slaps. _C'mon, Bulma, snap out of it: you have a boyfriend!_

She rolled over, now laying on her stomach, and slowly felt asleep.

* * *

Bulma woke up in the middle of the night - and almost had a heart attack when she saw Vegeta standing next to her bed.

"Vegeta, what the hell are you-"

He forced her to stop speaking only by a finger on her soft lips.

"Quiet," he simply said with his usual rough voice - although this time, it somehow sounded warmer than it used to do.

Bulma blushed when she noticed that he was not wearing a shirt: his muscles and scars were totally exposed to her blue eyes. _Holy...  
_  
"But-"

The finger on her mouth became firmer and she gave up trying to say anything else. Then, the Saiyan slowly lowered his head - his face was now very close to hers. Dangerously close. In the dark, Bulma felt her cheeks turning even more red. _You've got to be kidding me_.

"Vegeta, I have a boyfriend you know-"

He simply smirked - she had never noticed how sexy he looked like that. And then... then, the next thing she knew, his mouth had replaced his finger on her pink lips. Her cobalt blue eyes widened, but quickly closed so she could enjoy the moment even more. The kiss was passionate and fierce: she felt like she was on fire, yet the hand that he put on her cheek sent chills down her spine. She grabbed his belt to bring him closer - Yamcha was very, _very_ far in a corner of her brain now - and felt his other hand going up her naked thigh. She shivered, and moaned very lightly when he started to kiss her neck-

Bulma sat up in her bed at once, her heart beating extremely fast. She was out of breath and her sheets were in a total mess. There was no hands on her body, no lips on her skin - she was perfectly alone in her bedroom, and it was around five in the morning, not somewhere in the middle of the night._ A dream? It was only a dream?_ How disappointing. She shook her head to bring herself back on Earth. _I must really not have such thoughts._

She wasn't supposed to feel _sorry_ it was over and only a dream, she was supposed to feel _guilty_ that she even had such a dream in the first place.

And she felt guilty. Yes, very guilty indeed. That odd feeling in her stomach was nothing but pure guilt.

_Right?_

**End of the chapter:** Ok I'll admit the title kinda gave it away (for the dream, I mean) but, oh well, it sounded great so I kept it anyway ^^ some feedbacks, pretty please?


	3. Break it, drop it

**Chapter 3: Break it, drop it**

The next day, Bulma and Yamcha were sitting in the living room, barely watching TV. Of course, Vegeta was training, like usual.

"... so, yeah, finally, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I'm really improving my strength and everything. Do you think your father could build a capsule like Vegeta's?"

No answer.

"Bulma?"  
"Uh?"

She blinked several times. Her mind was apparently coming back from a long, long trip away from his words. Yamcha sighed, a bit irritated.

"You're not listening at all."

Bulma slightly blushed.

"No, I'm sorry. Really, Yamcha, I am. I just had a rough night."  
"You had a nightmare?" he asked, worried.  
"Erm... no. But it was kind of a weird dream."  
"What was that about?"

_Oh, nothing really. I just found out that Vegeta is one hell of a kisser. In my mind at the very least_.

"It's... it's not important. It was just a dream after all," she said, forcing herself to grin.  
"Well it seems quite important if you're not even listening to me because of it," he replied, frowning.  
"I told you, it's nothing - besides, you don't _want_ to know."

She stood up and headed for the kitchen, but he followed her.

"No, really, I want to know."

The young lady didn't reply, trying to make it look as if she was too focused on the food she was getting out the fridge and simply hadn't heard him.

"Bulma-"

Bulma sighed heavily and quickly turned to him, her hands on her lips.

"All right, you asked for it - I dreamed that I kissed Vegeta. See? That's nothing really. Now, are you happy?"

She swang her blue hair behind her shoulder and turned back to get some vegetables in the bottom of the fridge while Yamcha looked at her with a blank expression on his face.

"I can feel you _staring_ you know," she said while getting a knife and a cutting board. "I told you you didn't want to know. Serves you right for insisting like that. Next time, maybe you'll leave me have some privacy-"  
"You're wrong," he said with a voice that was harder than usual. "I _did_ want to know."

Bulma turned again, this time to wash the vegetables in the sink.

"Then stop glaring at me like that! I told you it was just some stupid _dream_, snap out of it already! It's not like I kissed him for real, it's not like I would _want_ to do that anyway."

_It's not like he'd let me_.

"Oh really?" he asked rather harshly.

She dropped some brocoli on her wooden cutting board and crossed her arms, staring at him with _that_ gaze, the one that she shot him whenever it was _really_ the good moment for him to shut the hell up.

"What's that supposed to mean, Yamcha?"  
"That I'm starting to have serious doubts about this Bulma."¸  
"You doubt me because I had one little ridiculous dream? Damn, can you get any more _juvenile?!_"  
"It's not just that dream! And it's not even the first time, I remember you telling me about a dream like that before. Kinda shows what you want of him if you ask me."

She blushed. Yes, it was true, but she had forgotten it long ago. Not Yamcha, apparently. Her sapphire eyes darkened with anger.

"How DARE you - and it's not like I have any control over my stupid dreams all right! That's so childish, I wouldn't freak out if you told me you had a dream where you kissed Chichi, I mean who _cares_-"  
"Not only that! Don't you see the way he treats you? I can't believe you just let him do that! Calling you 'woman' and 'servant', ordering you around like you're a slave or something - you'd break my fucking neck if I even _thought_ about doing that!"

_You bet I would_, she almost replied.

"Well Vegeta has a bad temper and horrible manners, so what?! He's a prince, those people think they're better than anyone else. Besides, it's not like he isn't like that with _everybody_ anyway."  
"Yeah, that's right, find him excuses to be such a bastard! I can't believe you let him stay here in the first place."  
"Yamcha, you really sound dumber every second, you know that? He's got nowhere to go, in case you didn't know his planet was destroyed long ago! Besides, Vegeta _must_ stay, he's one of the best hopes we have to defeat the androids, so you can sit on your doubts and your insults. If you're not happy about staying in the same house than him, even though the place is so fucking _huge_ you hardly see each others, then get out of here! Vegeta's staying, no matter what you think of him."  
"_Fine_," Yamcha said, standing up. "Sure. Whatever you say, Bulma."

She blinked several times. _What?_ He couldn't possibly be serious about that... she stared at the brocoli with a very blank expression on her face, and was only brought back to reality minutes later, when she heard the door being opened, then slammed. A tear slowly rolled down her pale cheek.

* * *

What the hell was that woman _doing?_ Vegeta had been expecting her to call him for dinner hours ago already. He expected the huge screen to be turned on, her stupid cheery face to appear, and her annoying voice to call his name. But nothing of that had happened. Yet, Vegeta was starving, so he had no choice but to get outside the capsule. As focussed and dedicaced as he was to his training, no Saiyan - not even a prince - could ignore_ hunger_.

He frowned when he stepped inside the dinning room. There was nothing on the big wooden table, and his nose couldn't catch the smell of food being cooked or baked either. Vegeta scratched his head. The female couldn't possibly have been serious the day before when she said she was going let him starve to death, right?

_RIGHT?!_

He heard an odd noise coming from the kitchen, even though the place seemed empty. Frowning even more, the Saiyan walked towards the kitchen, and froze next to the oven.

Bulma was sitting on the floor, her back leaned on the fridge: she had been hiding her face behind her hands, but when she heard someone walking in, she moved them away and looked up at the intruder. Vegeta had never seen her like that. He had seem her happy, angry, exhausted, worried, he had even seen her embarrassed, but he had never seen her... _sad_. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red and her cheeks dark gray because of the mascara. Vegeta looked away and cleared his throat. Somehow, he felt that her tears were even more indecent than that short yellow dress.

"What do you want?" she asked with a harsh but tired voice.

He shrugged, doing his best no to look at her wet face. She was a weak, pathetic creature if she let herself be driven by her meaningless feelings.

"I was hungry," he simply replied.

Bulma moved away from the fridge, but didn't stand up or make a move to start taking care of the food. Vegeta sighed. Now he'd have to cook by _himself,_ like he didn't have more important matters to take care of. The thing was, he'd never done it. On planet Vegeta, the palace was full of people willing to get him any food he wanted, whenever he wanted it. He hated Frieza with all his soul and heart, but still, even that son of a bitch wasn't dumb enough to have his warriors wasting their time cooking. And here, well... that woman had been taken care of it all the time.

To make a short and simple story: he didn't even know how to boil water. Not in the slightest.

He picked up some rice, and dropped it in the first thing he saw - meanly, a frying pan. He then scratched his head, completely clueless about what he was supposed to do next. How was he supposed to turn that shit on? Which button was he supposed to press? _Ah, dammit - I'm one of the greatest warrior of the Universe, not a cook! _After a short while staring at him and seeing him struggling with the rice and the oven, Bulma finally took pity of him and stood up.

"Wait," she said, shaking her head. "You're doing this all wrong."  
"Well it's not my fault," he replied, crossing his arms and stepping aside to let her handle the situation, for she was far more qualified than him. "I'm a-"  
"Yes, Vegeta, you're a warrior, not a cook," she said for him with her tired voice while putting some water in a cauldron.

She then poured the rice Vegeta had put into the pan into the water.

"Yeah well that's right - how come it's not ready anyway? It's getting late."

Bulma's face remained neutral - or so she believed. In fact, her sadness was written all over her face.

"Stuff it, Vegeta. I've had a horrible day, I'm really not in the mood. You're lucky that I don't let you find a way to cook rice by yourself."

He sneered and turned away.

"Well, I'm gonna go train again then. Tell me when it's ready."

Upon hearing the house's door opening and closing again, Bulma bobbed down. Again, she wiped away a tear.

_I hate men. I think I'm gonna go lesbian_.

**End of the chapter:** Don't tell me that Vegeta and Yamcha are being assholes XD Vegeta's being Vegeta and Yamcha, well... they had to break up obviously ^^'


	4. Scars

**Bunny16:** Oh, my very first review! *starts drinking champagne* Well Bulma isn't exactly the character with the best temper of the whole anime anyway, is she? ;) Besides, I really believe that she actually wanted Vegeta before her story with Yamcha truly ended, as she offered him to stay with her and the Nameks in her house when they were all brought back from planet Namek, calling him "hot boy" and saying he was "kinda cute". She is also heard in one episode telling that she dreamed about kissing him (hence, the "older dream" mentionned in my chapter by Yamcha), and is quite often shown taking care of him (like that time when she forced him to take a shower while she washed his clothes - you know, that time where she gave him that pink shirt XD). So I thought this would be quite accurate. Even with all that Bulma's a very emotional character and I didn't picture her ending her story with Yamcha without feeling horrible about it.

**NJNLOLOLO:** Thank you!

**Vamirii:** Lol! Nah, she won't go lesbian (obviously, if she does there won't be any Trunks :P), I just figured it was something she would think in a moment like that ;) Like, Geez, men are so dumb, maybe women will be better. Lol. Anyway, thanks for the review and nice comment :D

**Just a little advice:** If you have the version of the awesome song "One" Metallica did with the San Francisco Orchestra somewhere in your computer, MP3 or on a CD, it's time to listen to it (except if you can't read with music of course). That masterpiece fits so well with that chapter that I even wrote it while listening to it ^^

**Chapter 4: Scars**

Later that day - it was about midnight or so - Vegeta frowned when he got out the shower. Few minutes ago, he hadn't noticed Bulma sitting in the living room, and thought it was quite odd that she was still up. She would usually go to bed earlier than this, or, if she stayed up, be working downstairs in the laboratory.

Not that he cared of course.

She felt someone staring at her and turned her head slightly. Their eyes met. She had washed her face and wasn't crying anymore - Vegeta was more than glad to notice it, for there was nothing more annoying on this goddamn planet than someone _crying_ - and yet she didn't grin cheerfully at him like she used to. Vegeta mentally shrugged and headed for the kitchen without a word. Her blue eyes followed him all the way to the fridge, he knew it even though he wasn't looking at her - it was as if those sapphire were burning his back. Vegeta cleared his throat as he opened the fridge.

He really needed to stop comparing her eyes to those beautiful - erm, no, _worthless_ - precious stones.

"Are you going to stare at me forever?" he finally asked as he grabbed an apple.

He turned just at the right moment to see her smirking - although it was some sort of a sad smirk, it was much better than stupid, annoying tears.

"Sorry, Your Highness," she simply replied.

Vegeta dropped on a couch next to her armchair, frowning. Something was not right about her, definitely. The woman he knew had much more fighting than that into her. She was holding a glass half-filled with a deep red liquid, and there was an empty bottle on the coffee table in front of the white couch. His dark eyes moved from the glass to the bottle, then from the bottle to the glass, and finally, from the glass to her face. Now he saw what was wrong about her tonight.

"You're drunk," he said, sounding a bit amused by the situation.

She gave him that sad smile again.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

A smirk creeped on his lips. He had a feeling he knew why.

"So, what happened to the weakling?" he suddenly asked.

Bulma frowned. Where was that coming from?

"What makes you think that anything happened?"  
"Well the fact that I've been able to enjoy my meal alone for once is quite a big hint."

She shrugged and looked at the floor.

"He's gone," she replied in a low whisper.

Although he didn't really know why, Vegeta smirked with content - but quickly took a bite in his apple to hide it.

"Nevermind, I guess," she said, taking a long sip of her drink.

Vegeta arched an eyebrow.

"If you don't care then what happened to that wine bottle?"

Bulma frowned, then looked at the green bottle on the coffee table. Her eyes widened a bit when she noticed that it was empty - _already?_

"Good riddance anyway," he continued. "It was about damn time you realise he was a worthless piece of-"  
"It's more like _he_ realised_ I_ was a worthless piece of... whatever," she finished, mumbling.

Bulma couldn't believe she was actually telling that to him. _I must be even more drunk than I thought_. Before any of them could realise what was going on, she had left her own seat and had dropped on the couch next to him. He slightly frowned, but remained motionless - what the hell was she up to now? She was staring at him with that odd look on her face. He had no way to guess that it was because he looked just like he did in her last dream. She then opened her mouth, and words that she would never have spoken while sober left her red lips:

"What happened to your body?"

Vegeta blinked several times.

"My body's fine," he grunted, taking another bite of his green apple.

Really, how stupid could this woman get?

"But these..."

His dark eyes widened when the tip of her cold finger touched his torso. What the-

"These scars... how did you get them?"

He shoved her tiny hand away with his own.

"In battles, obviously," he replied, as if he thought she was the dumbest person on this planet.  
"No but I mean, each one of them, do you remember? You've got so many, can you remember how each one happened? Like, this one..."

With her finger, she followed a scar just under his shoulder.

"This one, do you remember?"  
"First battle," he simply replied. "The other took me by surprise - I was young and careless. Why do you care?"  
"Because they're like... they're like words on paper, they tell your story. The story of a proud warrior... and this one?"

Her finger was now on his heart. What prevented him from throwing her to the other side of the room for touching him without his consent like that, he didn't really know. However, he was somehow quite pleased with the way she considered all these scars, for he saw them exactly in the same way. He simply shruggled at the question.

"That one was Frieza on Namek."

Bulma's hand moved to a scar few inches behind Frieza's.

"Before you ask, I owe that one to your _dear_ friend," he said bitterly.

Her delicate hand moved again on his skin and she opened her mouth, but he put his index on her lips.

"_Quiet_," he grunted. "You're really starting to annoy me."

Bulma flushed. It looked so much like that dream now... except that he had just pointed out how annoying she was. She did not speak more, but he kept his finger right where it was. Would it go on like it had in her dream? The prince didn't move a muscle and kept staring at her. She didn't move either: somewhere in her dizzy brain, she feared that it would break the moment.

_But what moment exactly?_

It seemed like days had gone by when Vegeta finally moved back. No, _wait._ He wasn't moving back, he was moving forward. Was he really going to... Bulma's heart was racing, yet it stopped beating (or so she believed) when their lips met. She closed her eyes and slightly whimpered when he pulled her towards him, pressing her body against his chest. Everything was very fuzzy for the blue-haired young woman, and yet her mind was able to register that her dream had far underestimated Vegeta's abilities as a kisser. Compared to him, any man she had known was incredibly sloppy. It was so fierce, so powerful, so breath taking: it felt like the whole world could fall to pieces around them and yet she wouldn't notice it as long as he kept kissing her. She could feel that he wanted her, more than anything else, and that he was not going to take no as an answer.

How convenient - Bulma had no intention to try and push him away anyway.

She dug her fingers into the Saiyan's dark hair as their tongues fought an endless battle: she was not going to surrender, and if there was something Vegeta never did, it was surely giving up fighting. He pushed her against a huge bookcase, causing many books and even a pot of flowers to fall on the floor - wait, when exactly had they left the velvet couch? She had absolutely no idea. Vegeta's hands were all over her body, making it quite hard to keep track of what exactly was happening and, quite franky, she didn't even care. Kissing, nibbling her neck, he pressed her against a wall in the corridor. Again, they had moved without her really noticing it. Was it his hands or hers that unbuttoned his pants, it was quite hard to tell, but it didn't matter to any of them. Their eyes met, and so did their bodies, in the most intimate way.

She moaned and their mouths found each others again. It felt so perfect, so good that she forgot everything around. All she could think of was to hold herself very tight against Vegeta's body. An expensive portrait fell on the floor next to them, but none of them was able to hear or see it. They kissed passionately: she wanted to fuse with him, melt herself into his body so they could be only one, and then she'd feel that complete, that perfect, forever. Her legs shook, but it didn't matter since he was holding them very firmly: then, her back arched violently as she cried out his name in ecstasy.

**End of the chapter:** Did anyone ask for intensity? ^^' Yes? No? Well anyway, there you go: intensity (or I hope so at least). If you listened to the music, I picked it because the beginning is soft, slow, almost magical (fits with Bulma's sadness and the very calm ambience of the chapter's beginning), and then it gets faster, more rythmic, as they get, well... more_ fierce_, let's say ;) anyway, I hope you liked this update ;) I've been imagining the scars scene ever since Vegeta was shown under the shower with all these scars XD


	5. So close, so far

**Chapter 5: So close, so far**

When Bulma woke up, she didn't open her eyes for two very good reasons. Firstly, her headache was threatening to make her brain explode if she allowed any more light to reach it. And, secondly, she was lying against a warm and pleasant body. She mentally frowned a little. What exactly had happened? She remembered going down a bottle of wine, but the rest was kind of fuzzy - exactly because of the bottle, of course. But she was in her bed, with her head against a torso... so?

Then it occurred to her, and she smiled warmly. Yamcha must've come back, he must've apologised three hundred times, she had forgiven him for being childish, he had forgiven her for her stupid dream, and they had some very, very good make-up sex, and now..._ No_, a voice said in her brain. _No, that's not working_. The body against hers had too many muscles to be Yamcha's: he was highly in shape, but not that much. And the arm around her waist was holding her in a very possessive manner, much tighter than Yamcha used to. So then...

_Vegeta_.

Bulma flushed, but now everything was coming back to her. She remembered asking him about his scars, touching them as she did so. She remembered his finger on her lips, his rough voice ordering her to stay quiet, and then... _then_, that fierce kiss on her mouth, his dark hair under her fingers, his body against hers, _inside_ hers, that feeling that everything was so perfect this way... Vegeta's heavy breath, her own voice screaming his name...

_God_.

She opened her blue eyes to confirm what she already knew: she was in Vegeta's arms, not Yamcha's, but she felt oddly comfortable where she was. He was still sleeping, and she couldn't help but smile: even in his sleep, he looked arrogant. As if he had felt her gaze, the Saiyan opened his dark eyes. She slightly bit her bottom lip - what was he going to say now?

* * *

What the hell had happened to him? He remembered everything of course: unlike Bulma, alcohol was not there to push any memory in the back of his brain. Vegeta even actually knew where he had made the mistake that had caused all this mess. As soon as he had touched her lips, his mind had been obsessed by them. He wanted to taste them so badly... pink and full, they were so soft and warm under his finger. He wondered how they would feel on his own mouth, how they would feel on his skin. And then, he had felt that urge to hold her, touch her, possess her... where was that odd need coming from exactly? She was probably some evil witch that had casted a spell on him when touching his scars. Yes, that was the most logical explanation.

Or _maybe_ it would've been if he hadn't known for a fact that Earthlings couldn't do magic.

And now she was looking at him with a weird look on her face, as if she expected him to say something. What the fuck was he supposed to say anyway? He had never been in such a situation before, and he didn't quite understand why or how he was there in the first place. All he knew for sure was that it was pretty late and that he was supposed to have started training hours ago. He should hurry and go - but why on Earth did he want to stay in her bed so badly? He shook his head.

He was supposed to focus on training, not... not... cuddling in a bed with that woman! And yet, right now and last night both felt so great. _That's enough!_ He wasn't supposed to love anything else than fighting - and then, as this thought crossed his mind, his lips curved in a smirk. He remembered pushing her against a bookcase, pinning her to a wall, holding her thighs so firmly... well, that almost looked like a fight, come to think of it-

"Vegeta?"

Bulma had finally spoken, though he wished she hadn't broken the silence. She had said his name with an unsure voice, and now he was really forced to say something, anything, even if his brain hadn't find a proper sentence.

"I've got to go."

His own voice sounded far and weird. He even wondered if he had truly opened his mouth, or if it was just his _mind_ speaking. But then the warmth of her soft body slowly left his right side, as she moved away to allow him to to whatever he wished for. He remained still for a short while. That was so incredibly awkward, and he really didn't feel qualified to face such a situation at all: he would have rather fought three Friezas instead of having to deal with... _this_. He refrained a sigh, quickly gathered his clothes and left.

* * *

Bulma poured herself a glass of fresh water in the kitchen. She forced herself to smile at her father when she saw him entering the room too.

"Morning, dad."  
"Hello, my dear - did you have a good night?"

_Oh, certainly_, she thought slyly as she put two aspirins in her mouth.

"Yes, thanks," she said, bringing the glass to her lips.  
"I wanted to ask you, do you know what happened in the living room and the corridor?" he asked airily.

The young scientist almost spat her aspirins.

"S-something happened?" she asked as innocently as she could.  
"There's books and a frame on the floor, a flower pot broke, and so did a part of the wall. Maybe someone entered the house yesterday, I just wondered if you hadn't heard anything-"

She blinked several times. Now what, he was going to call the police and send the officers after intruders that did not even exist? At least, she was glad that the house was so big that they hadn't heard her with Vegeta, that would've been quite embarrassing. She needed a lie, and she needed it quickly.

"Erm - me and Yamcha, you know - so sorry - I will pay for the wall and the frame, I swear-" she said, flushing more and more every word she spoke.  
"Oh, no, don't mind that. I was just worried. I'm gonna go to the lab, if you want to join me."  
"Yes, I'll just eat something and go downstairs."

He smiled to his daughter and left, shaking his head in her back. Her and Yamcha, yes, _right_ - maybe he was old, but he was certainly not _deaf_.

Bulma was searching in the fridge for something to eat quickly - and something that wouldn't make her vomit, preferably - when someone knocked on the front door. She frowned, but headed straight for it.

"Yamcha?" she said, not sure about what she was supposed to say.

Hadn't they broken up the day before? Had he left something behind?

"What are you doing here - wait, come inside, the sunlight's killing me."

He stepped inside the house and she closed the door behind him. He scratched his head, seeming kind of embarrassed.

"Bulma, I... I don't know how to put this, but I'm... I'm really sorry about yesterday. You were right, I acted like a kid, I-I mean who cares about a silly dream?"

She bit her bottom lip, but did not speak as he touched her cheek.

"You... you'll forgive me, right? I mean we both know I can be kinda dumb!"

She moved slightly closer to him: he took it as a "yes" and kissed her. But... she felt nothing else than his lips on her own. No butterflies in her stomach, no fire, not even a tiny spark. She couldn't help but think about Vegeta - _that_ was so fierce, wild, burning, almost like she'd die if he suddenly moved back...

"Bulma-" he started.  
"Yamcha, I'm... I'm really sorry, but it wouldn't be right-"

His face got colder and she bobbed down.

"There's someone else?"  
"No," she replied although it was a lie.

Yamcha didn't need to know about the night before. There was no point in hurting him even more. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. Clearly he didn't believe her.

"That's _him_, right?"

She silently shook her head, but he snorted in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, whatever floats your boat, Bulma," he hissed.

Yamcha paused.

"Vegeta'll never love you back," he said rather coldly. "You'll only suffer, you know that?"

She did not speak: he shook his head, opened the white door, and left. Bulma sighed.

"I know, Yamcha," she whispered for herself when he left her alone. "I know..."

**End of the chapter:** Honestly, am I on fire, or am I not? Uh? Lol, just kidding. Hope you liked that one too guys! ;)


	6. Try to forget, fall again

**Kekke:** Thank you for your review ;) Bulma's father actually knows that it was Vegeta she had sex with, not Yamcha, (as mentionned when he left, he's old but not deaf XD), he just wanted to see what she was going to say, if she was gonna admit it or not. They were pretty rough actually, I pity the bookcase and the wall (bless them), but hey, that's _Vegeta_ over there! ;) This had to be that way, I couldn't imagine him being so soft and all XD I mean... well you know what I mean I suppose ;)

**atlantis1985:** I'll do my best to keep posting quickly!

**Chapter 6: Try to forget, fall again**

This was not right at all.

No matter how hard he tried to focus, that didn't work. Well, not exactly - his mind just wouldn't focus on what he _needed_ it to focus on. Getting stronger, faster, better than this goddamn clown Kakarot! Really, how hard could that be for someone as smart as him to concentrate on such a simple goal? This was all that was supposed to matter to him right now. How come _he_ was a Super Saiyan while _him_, Prince Vegeta, who had gone under far harder and tougher training and life, not to mention the great potential that he had had even as a child, was still unable to reach that level? He had been obsessed by that ever since he had seen his rival as a Super Saiyan on Namek. _Why you and not me? _

But today, that old obsession had been wiped away from Vegeta's mind and replaced by another, much more unnatural to him than surpassing his rival. He wanted to get out of this gravity capsule and join her in her bed, on the couch, _wherever_ she was right now, and do that again. He wanted to feel her fragile body against his own, taste her burning lips again, and, more than anything else, hear her make _those_ delightful noises again. He had always claimed than feelings were a warrior's worse weakness, and yet he had never felt more powerful than he had when she had cried out his name last night. Her voice usually sounded so annoying to him, but when she had spoken his name like that... that was pure music to his ears. The most disturbing thing was that he didn't quite understand why. How could someone that used to piss him off be monopolizing his thoughts all of a sudden?

He shook his head and headed for the front of the capsule. He pressed the gravity button many times. When the Saiyan was struggling finally so much to stand up than he forgot about this lame obsession for that woman, he smirked, satisfied.

_Now that's more like it_.

* * *

"You must think I'm the dumbest guy on Earth," Yamcha finally sighed, staring at his friend.

Goku shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't."  
"Well I think so anyway. I thought she'd have me back, I thought I was the one who was meant to be forgiven. I thought she wanted me to come back, but I guess actually she was glad I was gone. Good riddance, I suppose."  
"No, don't say that - Bulma's got a hell of a bad temper, but you're important for her, she wouldn't be happy to see you leave her life."

Yamcha snorted in disbelief and stared at the blue sky upon them.

"I think she loves Vegeta," he finally said, looking carefully at Goku's face to watch his reaction.

Goku did his best not to smile. It was, after all, horrible for Yamcha, but if it was true, then he was glad something was happening. According to his very approximative calculations, Bulma should've been pregnant by now, or she would get pregnant very soon, so things _had_ to move between her in Vegeta. If it didn't, then... Trunks' birth might never occur.

"How come you're not even surprised?! Hellooo, Earth to Goku, sorry to bother you, but I said that I suspect _Bulma_ has _feelings_ for _Vegeta!_"  
"Well yeah that sounds quite unlikely but when you think of it, not that much-"  
"Are you fucking kidding me? 'Not that much?' And what are you smiling about anyway, he's a bastard!"  
"Vegeta's got his flaws, that's for sure," Goku said carefully.  
"He's got his flaws?" Yamcha repeated, dumbfounded. "Yes, I guess you could say that. Damn, he tried to kill all of us and destroy this whole planet while he was at it, now that's what I call a pretty big flaw!"  
"Oh, now that doesn't really count, he acted on Frieza's orders," the Saiyan started, only to be cut by his friend's deadly glare. "You can't really blame Vegeta for his actions as Frieza's warrior, we both know he never wanted to work for him."

Yamcha rolled his eyes.

"Because he was clearly going to be a nice guy on his planet. Giving cookies to children and all that. Fits him perfectly."  
"There's no telling what he would have become without Frieza, Yamcha."  
"Well _still_, he was a serious nuisance on Namek, he wanted the Dragon Balls for himself-"  
"-which actually helped Bulma and the others-"  
"Oh come on, it's not like he was actually _trying_ to help, he wanted the wish for himself! And what wish, I ask you?! 'Make me immortally young', how fucking selfish is that?! Not that anything else can be expected from _him_ of course."

Goku had to admit that Yamcha had a point there.

"I never said he was the most generous person I knew."  
"Not to mention he slaught an entire village of innocent people to get a Dragon Ball. And _here_, if only you could see how he treats her, I'm amazed she didn't break his goddamn neck. She must really love him to let him be such a jerk towards her, but he doesn't care, he'll _never_ care! All it's going to bring to her is pain, and that makes me sick."

_"Bulma?! She's your - Bulma and Vegeta are your **parents?!!**" he said, laughting very hard._

_He stared at them in the distance. It was the most unlikely twist of event he could've imagined._

_"They don't... they don't **stay** together," Trunks replied, blushing. "It's more like a... a passion thing, she said. Soon, my mother and Yamcha are going to break up. Yamcha will find someone else, and my mother, well... she'll find my father. However, I believe they will really love each other, but being so stubborn, they'll never admit it."_

As he remembered this, Goku stared at Yamcha in silence. What was he supposed to say? That, yes, he was probably right, but that it was already written, that there was no way for him to change it? That it absolutely _had_ to happen, or else someone's birth would never occur? These were not things that you could say to a friend who had just lost his girlfriend. Yamcha would probably be happy to hear that according to Trunks, Bulma and Vegeta's relationship was not meant to last, but he couldn't say that either. Especially since, in Trunks' future, Vegeta had died fighting the androids. Here, he was training so much that there was a good chance that he'd survive the battle. What would happen to him and Bulma, then?

Goku cleared his throat, scratched his head and gave his friend a grin. Yamcha had to stay out of this, or else a life might end before it could even start.

"You might be right, Yamcha," he replied carefully, "But it's Bulma's life, you know her as well as I do - she's very stubborn. Even if you're right, you can't stop her, she won't believe you until she sees by herself that Vegeta and her aren't meant to be."

* * *

Bulma spent a very long time in the shower. The water felt good on her body, but it also helped her to think better. Was pushing away Yamcha really a good thing to do? Yes, surely. She _liked_ him a lot, but if she allowed him to come back, it wouldn't be fair nor honest. He was right about Vegeta, he had been right for quite a moment actually. She really loved him. She sighed and leaned her forehead on the wet white wall. Vegeta was not exactly the charming prince every little girl dreamed about - although, she thought with a smirk, he _was_ a prince.

Yamcha was probably right about one more thing: she doubted the Saiyan would ever love her back. Chasing him would only annoy him and could even make him leave this place, or even the Earth, and she was really not the kind of woman to _wait_ for a guy. Still... still, for Vegeta, she would. Just to see what he would do, and take what he would be willing to give her. There was an easy three-steps method to make all this less painful to her. Accept, don't expect, shut your mouth.

_Yes, that'll do it_.

She turned off the water and grabbed a pink towel. She quickly dried her body, wrapped the towel around her breast, and was still drying her hair with a smaller towel when she opened the door and almost bumped into-

"Vegeta?" she said, frowning, for she knew he usually trained longer than that. "If you're coming for dinner, it's not ready yet, I was just going to-"

The next thing she knew, he was giving her a kiss even more fierce than she could've imagined. Now, what the hell had gotten into him? Not that she cared of course. Bulma closed her blue eyes, and held Vegeta as tight as she could. Pulling his shirt, she forced him to follow her into the steamy room. Again, this was all fuzzy to her: she knew the door had been shut behind them when he had pressed her body against the wood, but _when_ exactly it had happened - five seconds or five days after he started to kiss her - she was not really sure.

And, then again, she didn't give a damn.

This time, she could not really blame this confusion on the wine. It was really _him_ that drove her crazy like that. Even his scent... it was exhilarating, so deep, so manly, so _unique_. She had never felt like that with anyone before, and didn't quite understand what was going on with her, but she knew the basics: it felt so terribly _good_, so the hell with the rest. The contact of the hard floor slightly (very slightly) brought her back to reality, because it was wet and cold on her naked skin, but it did not matter. As long as his toned and burning body remained against hers, she didn't care about anything.

"Vegeta-"

Her voice was like a prayer, and he could swear it truly made him feel like a god. She was laying under him, her blue hair wet with the water of the shower, her pink lips asking for a kiss and her blue eyes asking for far more than that. She was his, and all his - she whimpered lightly when he kissed her again passionately, almost violently, and their bodies became one again.

**End of the chapter:** Eventually they'll do it in a bed, I promise (for the sake of their comfort). Or not... ;) anyway, I hope you liked this new chapter, and the next one should follow pretty quickly too!


	7. Hope

**dotjuh:** Thanks ^^ I was afraid the first one was gonna suck XD I'm glad you liked it though.

**Pilipili: **Oh, you've got such a cute nickname! XD Anyway, I have my stuff planned so it shouldn't take too long between updates (unless something major happens in my life).

**Kekke:** Oh yeah, that sentence XD I changed it so many times I'm not surprised there are so many silly mistakes. Thanks for pointing it out, it should be corrected by the time you read this ;) When Trunks first appears (the all grown up one) as Bulma and Vegeta's son, I was like, no, what the hell, don't tell me they're going to turn my Vegeta into a husband and daddy .' I was afraid he was going to lose his I'm-a-warrior-I-fight-alone-therefore-I'm-so-great side, but then Trunks said it was mostly passionate and I was like, oh, then, it's great XD Just like you, I don't picture either of them (nope, not even Bulma) having sweet dinners with candles and holding hands and all that cute stuff (like, Vegeta's going to buy her a bouquet, yeah right...). Bulma takes care of him and I believe he likes that (although he acts like he's annoyed by it), otherwise he wouldn't let her do it. Being a prince that spent his life obeying and bowing to the one who murdered his whole people, I guess it must feel damn good to be the one giving orders XD In the end however, I think exactly the same thing that is said in my so-full-of-silly-mistakes-sentence: they love each others, they just won't tell. In Trunks' screwed up future, Bulma tells him "Your father? Well... he never told me, even once, that he cared about me... but I could tell", and in the normal future, I think her reaction when he kills so many people during the tournament, along with the fact that she has that terrible feeling when he dies says everything. Not to mention her reaction when she finally learns that he is truly dead. As for Vegeta, he gives his life trying to kill Buu so Bulma and Trunks can be safe, that pretty much says everything too (he even admitted he was "kind fond of them", I think that's about the closest he's ever been to say "I love them" lol). So well yeah, to sum up (damn, I'm ranting like an old lady...), I love their relationship as a very passionnate, I-love-you-but-I'd-rather-die-then-tell-you one. Makes me think a little about Spike and Buffy, too (especially the first time they have sex, if you watched Buffy back then you'll understand. At least Vegeta and Bulma didn't destroy the house ^^')

**lilah66:** Lmao, I was about to post this chapter when I saw your review, so I guess that's fast enough uh? ;) Thanks for reading and commenting my story, I really appreciate! :D

**Chapter 7: Hope**

Few weeks slowly, calmly went by. Since Vegeta was almost never around, claiming that he had to train and that there were "far too many distractions" in Capsule Corp, Bulma was spending most of her time down in the laboratory, working with her father. She had slightly smirked, though, when she had heard Vegeta's excuse to go somewhere else. She knew that she was the "distractions" he was talking about, and she was somehow quite proud that she was enough to intefere with his usual obsession of training to be able to kick Goku's ass one day.

"Bulma, dear," her mother's voice said from the door of the lab. "There is someone upstairs who wishes to see you."

The young scientist smiled and rushed towards the ground floor. Could it be-

"Hello, Bulma!"

Her heart sank and she bit her bottom lip, slightly disappointed. For a second there, she had had the foolish hope that it would be Vegeta. _Like it's going to happen. When he comes back, he won't "wish to see me", he'll be complaining because dinner's not ready._ She quickly recomposed herself, however, and grinned at her friend.

"Goku!" she said, hugging him tightly. "I haven't seen you in a very long time, how are you?"

He smiled and hugged her back.

"I'm fine, the training's going very well. What about you?"  
"Oh, I'm all right, the usual. I'm not training myself to face deadly androids, I'm mostly working in the lab. Say, do you want something to eat?"  
"Oh well, now that you mention it, I'm a bit hungry!"  
"I'll get you something. Unless you're in a rush..."  
"Nope! Got all the time I want."

He dropped on a chair while she opened the fridge. Anyone who would see the quantity of food she was gathering could never have guessed that her guest had said he was "a bit hungry", but she had quickly understood that, for a Saiyan, "a bit hungry" meant "pretty hungry", "hungry" meant "I'm starving", and "Geez, I'm starving" meant "Don't you _dare_ stand between me and my precious FOOD!".

While she was watching vegetables, Goku looked at her carefully. He was paying this visit to his friend mostly to make sure Vegeta and her were truly having a baby. A voice in his head told him that there was no need to worry, that it was the future anyway, but on the other hand... on the other hand, he hadn't gotten sick like Trunks had said. His trip to their time might have disturbed more than this virus he was supposed to catch. It had been long enough now: if Bulma wasn't already pregnant, then Trunks' birth would not occur.

_She sure doesn't look pregnant_, he thought as she was pouring water into a cauldron. Her waist was still as thin as it used to be. But, then again, this would be normal: if she was truly expecting Trunks, then she could be only a few weeks pregnant, so she wouldn't look pregnant yet.

"So, how's Vegeta doing?" he asked on what he expected to be a normal tone.

Bulma sighed.

"You spoke with Yamcha, didn't you?"  
"What, me? No-"  
"You're a terrible liar, Goku."  
"Oh well... _yes_ I did speak with Yamcha but this has nothing to do with it! I just wondered how his training was going, since he doesn't seem to be around-"  
"Oh."

She picked up a knife and started cutting her vegetables. She looked very normal, though Goku thought she was a bit rougher than necessary with those poor mushrooms. It's not like they had done anything bad to her!

"Well, the hell if I know," she replied, shrugging. "He left few weeks ago to train and I don't even know where. It's not like I care. At least while he's not there no one is calling me servant."

Goku's eyes widened. Vegeta had left few _weeks_ ago? _Man, this isn't good!_

"Does he... does he come back sometimes?"  
"No, I told you, I don't know where he is, he might aswell be on another planet-"

Goku's heart stopped beating. _On another planet?_ This was even worse than he thought. He slightly frowned as he concentrated, searching for Vegeta's energy. He mentally sighed with relief: Vegeta was still on Earth, and he was not very far from Capsule Corp - which, on the second thought, didn't do them any good if he wasn't coming back once in a while anyway.

"And you're feeling... ok?" he asked carefully.

He crossed his fingers under the table, hoping that she'd tell him that she was more tired than usual, having nauseas, getting some weird food craving like dipping pickles into white chocolate, _anything_ that could mean that she was pregnant.

"I'm feeling a bit tired-"  
"Oh really?" he said, sounding very cheerful. "I-I mean, _really?_" he repeated with a concerned tone that fitted more the situation.

She glared at him with an odd look in her blue eyes, that look that always made him fear that she was reading in his mind. _If she does I'm pretty screwed, _he thought.

"It's just because I've been working too much with my father in the lab," she said. "Goku, I told you five minutes ago, I'm perfectly _fine_."

She crossed her arms.

"Now be honest, will you? Did Mr. Jealousy also known as _Yamcha_ send you to convince me to stay away from Vegeta? Or to check if we were dating?"

If Yamcha had done that, she would make sure to convince him to mind his own _fucking_ business.

"No, no, no! I promise, Bulma, he didn't do that - wait, are you guys together?" he asked hopefully.

Bulma chose this very moment to turn her back on him to drop the vegetables into the water, and Goku could swear he had seen her head lower a little.

"Vegeta would never be with someone else than himself," she replied with the most neutral voice she could manage to find.

_This isn't GOOD! Man, what do I do now? Maybe I should've followed my first idea and look at them more carefully! _As a last resort, he focussed on Bulma. He could feel her energy, much weaker than those he normally sensed, but still, it was there. And then...

He smiled.

He could sense a second energy, shinning softly like a tiny golden spark in the middle of the night. He was truly there, and Goku had been worring himself for nothing. She was probably only a few weeks pregnant, and she didn't even seem aware of it by now, unless she was lying to him. Either way, this energy was already higher than hers. There was no mistake possible there: Bulma was expecting a baby, and with such high energy at such a low state of development, it couldn't be anyone else's than Vegeta's.

"What on Earth are you smiling about?"

Bulma's voice snapped in the air like a whip and brought him back to reality.

"Oh nothing-"

She sighed.

"Goku, I'm not stupid, there's something you're not telling me."  
"No," he said. "It's just that..."

_You're expecting Vegeta's son, congratulations Bulma! Yup, it's a boy, I'm positive. Yes, I knew it all along and I didn't tell you, but don't worry, he's going to be very handsome, I mean look at the guy who warned us about the androids, that was him! Good looking, uh? You must be so proud now!_ No, he couldn't tell her that! Mostly because she was going to kill him for keeping it a secret to her, and he couldn't really afford to die before the fight with the androids.

Her eyes narrowed and he scratched the back of his head, getting more and more embarrassed every minute.

"Oh, Geez, would you look at the time - I told Chichi I'd come back sooner than that! Gotta go!"

Before Bulma could open her mouth, Goku was already gone. She frowned, then sighed. He had never been quite normal, but things were really not getting better - maybe he had lost a bit of his mind when he had been wished back to life?

**End of the chapter:** Don't buy pregnancy tests girls, call Goku! ;) Hope you liked that little chapter as well ^^


	8. Five minutes can last forever

**Chapter 8: Five minutes can last forever**

Bulma sighed heavily and stared at the calendar, irritated.

_Now stop fucking around, you worthless piece of paper - I'm going to redo this again, but you'd better not try to fool me again, or else I'll burn you down_.

Unaware of those terrible threats, the calendar - obviously - did not apologise nor tremble with fear as she stared at the dates one more time. She calculated very carefully for the tenth time, and yet... _yet_, she got the same answer. Now this couldn't be right, could it? According to that, she was six days late for her period, which was not good.

To be more accurate, it looked more like the end of the world to the young scientist. Firstly, she didn't really want to have a baby when stupid androids were about to attack the planet and attempt to kill everybody, and secondly... _secondly_, the baby would be Vegeta's, no doubt, and he was not going to stop being full of himself to settle down and raise a kid with her.

Not even if his life depended on it.

Bulma sighed again and leaned her head on the table. She glared at the innocent calendar.

"This is all your fault. I don't want to be a single mom!"

Suddenly, she raised straight. Here she was, freaking out about being alone to handle the diapers and the cries in the middle of the night, while she was not even certain yet to be pregnant. She had to make sure: she could be late for many other reasons, it didn't _have_ to be because Vegeta and her had sex, right?

_Right?!_

* * *

Bulma was now waiting. She was sitting on the edge of the bath, bitting her nails, and her left leg shaking nervously. Her right hand was holding a small piece of white plastic. She sighed, staring at the bath. It was there that it all began - why did she have to enter when he was taking a bath? He was sitting right there, yelling at her for stepping inside and yet, all she could think of was how sexy he looked. She shook her head. _Snap out of it, Bulma_.

Her blue eyes moved to the white floor... which didn't do her any good, since it reminded her of Vegeta _as well_. The way he had kissed her as soon as she had opened the door, and then she had pulled him inside and they had collapsed on the floor and... she had felt so perfect again. Only him had ever been able to make her feel this way, and honestly, of all people, why on Earth did it have to be Vegeta?! She bit her bottom lip and glanced at her watch. Still two minutes to go? No way!

"Geez, come on, tell me already - how long can five minutes get?"

She stood up and started pacing. _I can't believe this is happening_. Still one minute and a half. _And to me, I'm supposed to be clever!_ One minute left. _What is everyone going to say?_ A tear rolled down her cheek. What if she lost her friends because she was expecting Vegeta's baby? It's not like anyone liked him after all. She wiped away the tear when her watch bipped.

"Please don't-" she started to beg as her eyes slowly moved to the pregnancy test.

But begging a piece of plastic had never been of any use, like many women could've told her. Bulma's eyes widened, and, in shock, her fingers dropped the test on the floor. Her legs suddenly stopped functionning and she quickly sat back on the edge of the bath. The red line was there, no doubt possible - she was really pregnant. Now she'd have to tell everyone, but the worse part was that she'd have to tell _Vegeta_. She had no idea how he would react, but was pretty sure he wouldn't be happy about it.

"Bulma, you in there?" a familiar voice said, as someone knocked carefully on the half-closed door.

She frowned, but managed to stand up and opened the door.

"Y-Yamcha?"

He flushed.

"Look, I've been thinking about it... we... we can stay friends, right? I-I mean you're very important for me and I wouldn't want to-"

He stopped talking when she suddenly caught him in a bone-crushing hug. What was up with her?

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, closing his arms around her.

He looked at her and frowned a little. She was very pale and looked as though she was about to cry. He had never seen him like that, except maybe the other day, when he had foolishly come to appologise. What had he done now?

"Bulma, are you all right?" he asked, a bit worried.

Bulma said nothing, but bursted into tears and he held her a bit tighter.

"P-please promise you won't leave me alone no matter what I say," she begged with a shaking voice.  
"What the hell's happening, Bulma? Of course I wouldn't!"  
"Promise!"  
"All right, I promise."

She sniffed and slightly moved back to look at him.

"I'm... I'm pregnant," she finally said in a whisper.  
"You... you're... but... no, really?" he replied.

There was some odd light in his dark eyes. _Hope_. He thought the baby was his. After all, he knew she loved Vegeta, but was probably not expecting that they had sex together. Bulma slowly and sadly shook her head as she moved back one more time, this time leaving his arms. He bobbed down.

"It's not me, right?" he asked with a sad voice.  
"No," she admitted. "It's not. I'm really-"  
"What did _he_ say?" Yamcha suddenly asked.  
"He doesn't know yet, I-I just found out."

She shrugged.

"But I don't have any illusions. I don't flatter myself that he'll stick around and take care of that kid with me. I'm amazed he's even staying to fight the androids."

Yamcha's hand clenched into a tight fist.

"Now that would be too easy," he said, making his best to keep his voice under control. "He can't just do that, that's cowardice! I'm gonna go and put some sense into his thick head-"  
"Look," she started, "Vegeta is not here, and I have no idea where-"  
"Oh but I'll know," Yamcha's bitter voice replied. "His energy is so high, I can sense it from here."

He tried to go, but she stopped him by holding his arm. She couldn't let him do that, it was suicidal. Plus, she didn't really want her ex boyfriend to get involved into that. The situation was already tough enough to handle.

"No, Yamcha - please don't do that! It's useless, he won't listen to you-"  
"Well then maybe he's going to listen to my foot in his ass."

Bulma blinked. He couldn't possibly be serious about that.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! You can't really expect to _fight_ Vegeta!"  
"If I have to, I will. I'm not scared of him. All right, maybe, but just a little, and I'm not about to let him do this to you no matter what!"  
"Are you out of your goddamn mind? Look, I know you trained a lot since that guy came about the androids, and this might sound harsh, but _Vegeta... _Vegeta would break you in two without even breaking a sweat, you know it! And you know he doesn't care about killing you - come on, don't be stupid Yamcha!"

Yamcha jerked his arm away from her fingers, and quickly left.

**End of the chapter:** There you go guys - please all wish Yamcha good luck, he'll need it!


	9. Always one step ahead

**lilah66:** I'm glad you liked it ;)

**Chapter 9: Always one step ahead**

Yamcha was flying as fast as he could towards Vegeta's energy. He was going to put some sense into that stupid Saiyan's head, with words or fists - it didn't matter at all - but he would succeed. As even the dumbest person on Earth would've guessed by now, he was extremely angry. It was not fair that such a bastard had stolen Bulma's heart from him, without having the intention of giving her the love she deserved in return. Moreover, the simple thought of him having a child with her made him so nauseous that he was almost wondering if he wasn't pregnant too.

This was not fair either.

Vegeta had never wanted to be a father, and yet Bulma was expecting his kid. It was totally unfair that such a careless character got to have the child that Yamcha wanted, with the woman he loved, and that he would just raise an eyebrow and say "Yeah, so?" or something like that when she would tell him. He would've been so happy if Bulma had once came to him to announce that she was pregnant. Well, she did - but with _Vegeta's baby_.

It hurt Yamcha even more than words could ever tell. And even with all that... even with all that, Bulma defended that son of a bitch! What the hell was wrong with her? He had always treated her nicely - all right he was not always there when she needed him, but it's not like Vegeta was Mr. Always Present either - and here came this bastard, with his rude manners and cold heart, and she picked him over Yamcha?

_Vegeta would break you in two without even breaking a sweat, you know it!_

That was extremely painful to Yamcha too. Why did he have to be _always_ better than him anyway? He was strong too! Of course, if he hadn't been fueled with anger, jealousy and a very strong desire to kill that stupid Saiyan by making him choke on his own blood, he would've understood that Bulma was trying to protect him from getting hurt (or worse, since Vegeta was not best known for knowing how to hold back), not to humiliate him, but such rational thoughts were completely out of reach for Yamcha's brain at the moment.

He landed somewhere in a forest. He was surrounded by broken trees - clearly Vegeta was not far.

"Well, well," a familiar mocking voice said in his back.

Yamcha quickly turned at the sound of the annoying voice. The prince leaned his back on one of the very few intact trees, his arms crossed and a smirk on his lips. He looked both amused and - though it was his usual look - cocky. _Damn_ cocky.

_Gosh I hate that guy._

"You came to see a real warrior at work? Or you just missed me so much you couldn't help but come and say hi?"  
"No, I came to speak to you!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you believe I have any minute to waste on you?"

Yamcha's hands clenched into shaking white fists.

"I never said I was going to leave you the choice."

The Saiyan sneered.

"Oh, Geez, now I'm scared. Just make your point already, I don't have all day - some people have a real potential to work on, if you know what I mean."

_Jerk_.

"You're an asshole, that's my point!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, and a smirk curved his lips again.

"Oh, how cruel of you to come all the way in that forest just to tell me that - now get the hell out of my sight, I'm busy here. I picked this place to be away from losers like you, for your information."  
"No I won't go - not until you swear you are going to act properly with Bulma!"

Vegeta frowned. What the fuck was that weakling talking about? Wait... now that he mentioned it, he could smell it. Her floral scent was all over him. He'd been in her house before coming here, he had _touched_ her? Now this was something he didn't like at all. Not that he truly cared about the woman but she was _his_ now. His dark eyes narrowed, but the smirk didn't leave his lips.

"My, my, aren't we jealous now? Still haven't gotten over the fact that she dumped you like the piece of trash you are? Pitiful, truly pitiful. Besides, what I do or don't do with that woman is none of your concern."

She told _him_ about what they had done together? Why the hell did she tell him? He'd have to ask her and make sure it wouldn't happen again.

"It _is! _I'm not gonna let you hurt my friend by toying with her feelings!"  
"What the fuck are you ranting about? I'm not _toying_ with anything - and if she disagrees, I think she is old enough to say 'no' by herself. She doesn't need a pathetic being like you to do it for her."

Yamcha moved his body, apparently getting ready to fight - and Vegeta started to laugh very loud, as if Yamcha had just told him the best joke he had ever heard.

"Don't tell me that you came here for this? Calling me an asshole, then challenge me in a fight? That was your idea? Come on, weakling, I thought you had at least half a brain."  
"If I must fight you, I will," Yamcha replied, determinated. "You think that you scare me, that you scare anyone? Well I've got a scoop for you, no one's afraid of the so-called prince of a dead race, so get over yourself for a change! That'll give all of us a break."

Vegeta shot him a deadly glare when he mentioned the destruction of his people ("so-called prince"?! How dare he!), but then he shrugged, as though it didn't really matter to him.

"I'd praise your courage if I didn't know for a fact that in your case, it's only stupidity. I could kill you in one move if I wanted - and you'd better get the hell out of here if you don't want it to happen."  
"You're so full of yourself - you couldn't beat me in just one move."

Vegeta's smirk grew bigger.

"Try me. Let's see... if I don't put you to the ground with one single hit, I'll let you hit me as much as you want without even trying to fight back or dodge."

_That arrogant bastard!_ Yamcha didn't take a minute to think about it, to realise that it wasn't a bluff at all: all he could think about was that Bulma would be left alone to raise a child while that jerk kept doing whatever he wanted. He rushed, as fast as he could.

"Sloppy and slow," Vegeta commented, his back still against the huge tree.

Before Yamcha's brain could even register that his opponent had moved, Vegeta was right in front of him: he hit him in the stomach with his knee. Yamcha's eyes widened, some blood flew in the air from his opened mouth: it didn't feel like he had been hit by a _knee_, it was more like being hit by a _car_ at full speed. And the worst was that the son of a bitch was still smirking.

"I told you - one move."

Yamcha collapsed on the grass, his arms around his terribly painful stomach. He could hardly breathe and it felt like all his bones and organs in the area had been turned into dust by Vegeta's single it. He could even feel tears into his eyes.

"You're goddamn lucky I don't waste my precious time finishing you off," the arrogant voice said as Yamcha tried to stand up and failed.

Vegeta raised in the air and left.

**End of the chapter:** There you go guys! ;) I told you to wish Yamcha luck and you didn't, well, SEE WHAT HAPPENED? Lol, just kidding of course ;)


	10. His

**Kekke:** I had so much fun writing that chapter and Goku's POV (he's so funny, no wonder Vegeta called him a clown lol), I'm glad you liked how I wrote him ^^ that was funny hehe... my personal favourite moment's when Bulma says she's more tired than usual, and he's like "Oh REALLY?" all happy about it and then he tries to sound sad. Silly boy! I love the I-love-you-but-I'd-rather-die-than-tell-you kind of relationship, but only in fiction XD if that happened to me though I don't think I'd be able to handle it.

Again, thanks ^^ I don't see why Yamcha would be a bastard, that's totally not the type of character he is, plus he and Bulma are still friends in the anime after she has Trunks with Vegeta (he even knows about Vegeta being the father before she tells everyone else), and I don't think it could be that way if he was an ass. Bulma has such a temper that she would not forgive him. So, noble but stupid: story of his life! Indeed standing up for Bulma was a very heroic thing to do, but considering he challenged Vegeta in a fight, that was surely not a clever one. Damn, he must be glad to be still alive right now lol.

**Chapter 10: His**

Vegeta landed behind a huge tree nearby the Capsule Corp. He could see her through a window, cooking in the kitchen. She seemed to be alone. In any case, she was certainly not with the weakling: he knew for a fact that it would take him quite a while to recover, but he could at least use this time where he was laying on the ground to think about how foolish of him it had been to challenge Vegeta in a fight.

_No one's afraid of the so-called prince of a dead race!_

Reminding these words made him angry again: how dare he speak of the Saiyan race like that? Had he no respect? It was not the fault of the Saiyans that Frieza feared a united Saiyan people so much that he had destroyed their planet! It was a miracle that Vegeta hadn't just blasted that idiot of an Earthling off after that insult. And "so-called prince", what the fuck was that supposed to mean? He _was_ a prince! He was _born_ a prince, and would _die_ a prince no matter what: he was the prince of a noble yet fallen race or great warriors, yes, but still, he would wear this title with honour and pride.

_That little jerk. Maybe I should go back and finish him off, after all_.

As Vegeta was seriously considering flying back to Yamcha, a voice raised in the air:

"Hey, Vegeta!"

His dark eyes widened: Bulma had opened the window and was grinning at him. How the hell had she managed to realise he was hiding there? She didn't know how to sense people's energy, did she?

Or maybe he was right about her being some evil witch. Perhaps Earthlings _could_ do magic after all.

"What do you want?" he grunted back.  
"Don't just stand there, come inside. It's almost ready."  
"Who said I came here to _eat!_ I'm a warrior, I don't need to be fed by a-"  
"Oh come on, tough guy, I know you can't even boil water. And I'm making some egg rolls," she said, her lips slightly curving into a very small smirk.

Indeed, the smell had just reached his nose. He headed straight toward the door, but it had nothing to do with the woman herself - no, of course. He was just starving.

* * *

He dropped on a chair and she glanced at him over the food she was preparing.

"Have you... by any chance... seen Yamcha?" she finally asked.

She hoped he had left his training spot before Yamcha could find him.

"Yes, that idiot disturbed my training," Vegeta replied, annoyed. "But I took care of that nuisance."

Bulma's blue eyes widened. No, he couldn't possibly mean...

"Geez, is he all right?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"He's not dead, if that's what you're wondering. However, he really didn't deserve to have his life spared."  
"Why did you fight him for?!"  
"Fight him?" Vegeta sneered. "Hardly. He's the one who came to insult me and challenge me - he's even the one who charged me, and he can't say I didn't warn him."

With a loud bang, Bulma put a plate full of noodles on the table.

"That idiot," she said, going back in the kitchen. "I _told_ him that would happen, but he still had to give it a try."

Vegeta frowned.

"Then you know what the hell has gotten into him?"  
"Sort of," she said.

She had finished putting the food on the table and was now standing next to him. He could smell it on her too, that disturbance in her floral perfume that had such an odd control over him. That weakling's disgusting smell. His dark eyes narrowed as he stared at her. What did he touch her for? Didn't he know that he was _his?_ As she was about to leave his side, he caught Bulma's hand, pulled her down towards him, and kissed her. She dug her delicate fingers in his dark hair like she used to do, pressing her fragile body against his as she sat on his lap, and he lost track of everything again.

* * *

Yamcha was amazed that he could still fly. Well, he was much slower than he used to be, but still. He could fly, which was much better than walking with such pain. Damn, he had never hated someone more than Vegeta. He was flying to Bulma's house: she would call him an idiot (to which he would probably have to agree, given the fact that it was a miracle Vegeta hadn't killed him in the forest), possibly give him a pair of slaps for being so stupid, but _still_, she would take care of his injuries better than anyone he could think of.

He landed as gracefully as one could in his position, a arm still firmly around his stomach. What kind of training had Vegeta gone through, for heaven's sake? He had been training with Goku before, he had received some Saiyan's hits, but nothing _that_ powerful. He walked towards the door, but froze in the middle of the alley when he noticed something through the window.

Suddenly, his injuries from his fight with Vegeta were forgotten.

They were both sitting on a chair - that is to say, the _same_ chair - and he could clearly see him nibbling her earlobe, just like he _knew_ she loved so much. Yamcha felt like he was about to vomit. They couldn't _possibly_ be having sex right now - hadn't Vegeta just made it clear he did _not_ love her? Still, he was the one that got to hold her in his arms, while Yamcha was standing outside, more furious than before. They moved: there was now no doubt they weren't just kissing and making out: the bottom of her pink dress was up and his pants were down. His moves were not gentle nor tender, but neither were hers: she pulled his shirt so violently to get a kiss that the fabric tore, but none of them cared.

And _yet_, as disgusting an painful as this scene was to Yamcha, he couldn't help but notice that it looked disturbingly _perfect_. It was like they were meant to be united like that. They were rough, passionnate, but still, everything fitted perfectly. Their lips always found each others, their bodies moved together in such harmony that it looked as though they were sharing one single mind. It was impossible for Yamcha not to notice, as he was moving away from this sight, that it had never been like that between Bulma and him. Perhaps this was why it didn't work, but he couldn't help but still believe that Vegeta was not the right guy for her either. He was vile, cruel and ruthless: she deserved far better than that!

Again, he managed to raise in the air, and left as fast as he could.

**End of the chapter:** All right, all right, I'm done torturing Yamcha XD this chapter wasn't meant to be, but I had a flash and boom, I had to write it!


	11. The unborn prince

**Pilipili:** Hehe ^^ I'm doing my best!

**lilah66:** My pleasure!

**Kekke:** No, it's not strange of you to think or say that, because I (obviously) believe that it's true. As cruel as it is for him, I think something like that had to happen so he can realise that he's really lost Bulma to Vegeta (no matter how unfair it may seem), and then he can truly move on.

**mileywinx:** Hello ^^ thank you for your nice review!

**ladyebzita:** I sure did ^^' poor Yamcha indeed, it's a very painful scene for him, but as I said to Kekke, it had to be done so he can see that Bulma "belongs" to Vegeta now, therefore he can officially give up about her. Hope's over, buddy! XD (and ok it's also because I'm a cruel writer _sometimes!_)

**Chapter 11: The unborn prince**

He shouldn't have come back: this was a mistake and he knew it. He should've stayed in the forest, or just use the capsule to fly on another planet to complete his training. There was something about her, really... since that night, he couldn't lay his eyes on her without feeling the sudden need to kiss her and hear her voice speaking his name.

"Vegeta..."

Her voice was faint, yet it made him feel just like he did when she screamed his name in ecstasy, so strong that it was a miracle her parents weren't rushing to where they were. Their eyes met. She was giving him that gaze that gave him the feeling to be the greatest person in the Universe. What if she had stared at the weakling just like that only few hours ago? That thought was like a cold shower to him, and it threw unexplainable anger into his heart.

He slowly moved back.

"Vegeta..."

Her voice had changed: she sounded both worried and nervous. He turned his back on Bulma and was about to leave, but she caught his forearm as she sat.

"No, don't go-"  
"I have to - and don't look at me like that, you know I am not one to be carried on a leash!"

She blinked, then flushed with anger.

"I know, I'm not _dumb! _It's got nothing to do with that, it's just... I have to talk to you."

Vegeta's entire body froze. He knew very little about female Earthlings, and yet, his instincts yelled at him that this was _bad_. He crossed his arms.

"Make it quick, will you?"  
"I..."

She sighed and bobbed down.

"I am pregnant."

Vegeta's dark eyes narrowed like a snake's as he stared at her with intensity.

"You are _what?_"  
"Pregnant - I'm expecting a _baby_, Vegeta."  
"I know what pregnant means, thank you very much!" his voice snapped back.

He took a deep breath and she raised her blue eyes towards him. He sneered, then shrugged.

"You should be telling this to the _weakling_, not to me," he continued bitterly. "He'll be so damn happy, maybe he'll stop disturbing my trainings for-"  
"You _imbecile_ - don't you get it? Do you think I'd be telling _you_ if it was him?! The baby's not Yamcha's! It's _yours_, Vegeta!"

The Saiyan moved back. What in the _world_... this couldn't be possible, this couldn't be true! Oh all right, they had sex but wasn't she with the weakling just before? Didn't he come here few hours ago and touch her?

"It's impossible - you're lying!"

Bulma sighed heavily.

"Why on Earth would I be lying?! I know it's you, I have a feeling that-"  
"Oh you have a _feeling?_ How perfectly _accurate_," he replied mockingly.  
"The dates don't match Yamcha anyway," she finished.  
"Well you never know. He came here today, didn't he?"  
"Yes he did, I told him I was expecting your baby and he got mad, that's why he came after you, so _what?_"  
"Right, you just _spoke_," he said rather harshly. "I could smell him all over you and vice versa."

Bulma blinked several times. He was... _jealous?_ No, this couldn't be possible!

"I had just discovered that I was pregnant, I was freaking out and he hugged me, and why am I even explaining myself to you anyway? I'm not one to be carried on a leash _either_, for your information!"

Vegeta stared at her with more intensity than ever. This _had_ to be a mistake she did in her calculations or a lie about her relationship with Yamcha, or _whatever_, and he was going to prove it to her. He closed his eyes and focussed: the first thing that he felt was her own energy signal, incredibly weak - but, after all, she was just an Earthling and she was not even a fighter. But then, his mind caught something else, something that immediately wiped away Bulma's signal.

It was a _second_ energy coming from her - how come he hadn't noticed it before? Probably because he wasn't paying attention at all: otherwise, he would've seen that she was actually emitting two signals. Damn, this other energy sure was impressive - well, considering how tiny and young the baby had to be at this point, if he was really the father. Without even noticing, he took a small step towards Bulma. Somehow, this unknown energy attracted him, and was oddly familiar. It _had_ to be his child. The father couldn't possibly be that ridiculously weak and useless Earthling, or else the kid wouldn't have such a potential, especially so early. A very subtle smirk arched his lips. It was a boy, he could already tell. Well of _course_ it was! He couldn't have a daughter, now that would've been plain ridiculous!

Vegeta slowly opened his eyes, staring at her thin waist. The baby in there _was_ his, there was no doubt possible. It was kind of hard to believe that this fragile woman was bearing a future great warrior, an unborn Saiyan prince that would share his royal blood. Well, an unborn _half_-Saiyan to be more accurate, but considering that he was surely not going to have a child with _Kakarot_, this kid was as Saiyan as he could get in this situation. Somehow, that made Vegeta more proud that he had ever been, although he couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was because it was just like beating Yamcha's ass once again. Yes, this had to be the reason why sensing this baby's energy made him feel like that. His dark eyes moved up to her face: she had been staring at him the whole time.

"You... you can sense it, can't you?" she asked with an unsure tone.  
"Yes," he replied in a low voice.

He remained silent for a short while, unsure of what he was supposed to say in the situation. His eyes wandered away from her.

"It's a boy," he finally said, having not found anything better to say to break this awkward silence.

Bulma gave him a very small smile.

"You can sense that too?"

He simply nodded, still refusing to look at her. The heavy silence was back.

"Vegeta, for heaven's sake... _say_ something!"

She wasn't dumb enough to wish him to be happy and promise he'd stay with her forever to raise their son together, but could he at _least_ get angry? Even being insulted for hours was better than this silence! He simply moved back.

"I've got to go," he simply said.  
"You've got to go _where?_"  
"I'm clearly not going to achieve my transformation _here_, so I'm gonna train somewhere in space and I'm not coming back until I succeeded."

He shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Not that it concerns you of course," he said over his shoulder as he headed towards the door.

Bulma sighed when the door closed behind him. But, after all, wasn't it just what she expected from him? She couldn't even be mad at him for leaving her like that after learning that he was about to be a father. He was just being true to himself, and wasn't it partly why she loved him, after all? Because he sticked to his positions? Because, no matter what, Vegeta would _always_ be Vegeta? She slightly lowered her head.

She had fallen in love with a true warrior, and now she'd have to deal with it.

**End of the chapter:** Geez, Vegeta _almost_ had an emotion! XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!


	12. Birth of a Warrior

**Kekke:** Yes, I thought he'd feel that way about having a kid (especially a son) too. That's his race and his royal blood living on, it means a lot for him (though he'd rather die than tell, of course... that's Vegeta). Furthermore, he is very proud of Trunks (the way he reacts when Trunks beat Goten in the tournament, it's so damn funny, like "HAHA! Chill out, Kakarot, there's always next year!" lmao loved that one). As for the length of the chapters, I'm sorry, I tend to write short chapters and update often rather than write longer chapters and update less often ^^'

**ladyebzita:** Yes, he was totally being jealous XD I've always thought he'd be very possessive with Bulma, like, it'd be his way to show that he cares (conciously or not) about her ;) I don't imagine him liking the idea of "sharing his woman" (on second thought, that sounds quite barbaric, but I don't see another way of putting this XD) As for the baby (namely, Trunks lol), I wouldn't say excited, but certainly proud and yes, happy, but deep, deep inside ^^'

**Chapter 12: Birth of a Warrior**

Vegeta had been on this planet for about four months now. No one seemed to be living there, which was very good. Not that he cared about accidentally killing a planet's inhabitants, but at least, here he would be able to train without being bothered every five minutes by weaklings wishing to fight him for stupid reasons. The sky there was always dark: there was no day nor night here, which had made him lose track of the time. He didn't know for sure how long he had been there. Weeks, months? Not years, that was for sure, but that didn't matter. He said he wouldn't go back to Earth without being able to transform into a Super Saiyan, well he would _not_ return to Earth before succeeding. He hadn't achieved his goal yet, but he felt closer than ever. His dark eyes raised in the air as he stared at the sky above his head. According to his capsule's radars and devices, there would be a meteors rain very soon.

These meteors would make perfect targets. That'd be better than training in his ship and encouring the risk of breaking it and getting stuck on this lame mudball. The Saiyan took a deep breath, and then he smirked as he saw orange and red dots among the stars.

_Here they come_.

He flew up in the air, rushing to the meteors to crush every single one of them. As Vegeta threw punches, kicks and energy balls at those huge, burning rocks falling towards the ground, the fury and hatred both slowly came back into his heart and mind, making each hit and each blast stronger than the one before as his moves became more and more fueled with anger.

_How dare she!_

What the hell did she have to get pregnant for?! Weren't they prefectly fine just having sex without bothering about anything else? Didn't female Earthlings have any sort of control over their goddamn fertility? Apparently not - pitiful race. Couldn't even do any birth control, now that was plain ridiculous. He frowned as he blasted another meteor absently. Wait, what if they _did_ have a control over this, and what if she got pregnant on _purpose? _This thought was really driving him mad, for it made him feel trapped. Maybe that idiot was actually right, and she truly had feelings for him, so perhaps... perharps she had done that so she could bound him to her forever? He refused to feel like that ever again.

Hell no. He'd had enough of this, and he wouldn't tolerate such a situation.

Vegeta had already been bounded to someone for so many years... no, bounded wasn't right, the word wasn't strong enough to describe what had happened to him. _Enslaved_ sounded closer to the reality. Such humiliation he had been through! Having his people murdered, his planet destroyed purposely while he was away, so he could be forced to work for the crazy son of a bitch responsible for all this. That made him sick to think that perhaps, if he hadn't been somewhere else, he could've done something. For so long Vegeta had obeyed in silence like a stupid dog, never receiving the praise and credit he would've deserved for his actions. He was the _elite_, and yet all he had ever received from Frieza was mockery and insults.

And the worst part of it... the worst part was that _him_, a Saiyan of royal blood, a _prince_, had been asked to abase himself and bow his head in submission like the others, he had even been forced to _kneel_ in front of that vile creature like a mere servant countless times, while he was born the heir of the throne of a powerful and noble race! No one could ever come _close_ to imagine how humiliating it was to be forced to act like that towards the one who had destroyed his entire life. Being a warrior was in his blood, all right: but being _someone else's_ warrior was surely not in his blood, genes and temper. Now that he was finally free, he refused to let this freedom slip away again. He'd rather _die_ than be enslaved again, he'd rather kill himself with his own hands than belong to someone else ever again.

Vegeta suddenly lost track of his thoughts when he was violently hit by a meteor. He landed painfully on the rocky ground, panting and grunting in pain. Vegeta struggled to stand up, and finally managed to get on his knees and hands.

Few seconds ago he had felt so close... but now that feeling of being "almost there" was definitely gone, and the meteors rain was over. He had just lost this chance to turn into a Super Saiyan. _Shit._ He punched the ground in frustration. He'd had _enough_ of this already. Even if she was so far away on Earth, she was still obsessing him enough to disturb his training, enough to make him lose his focus. Damn woman, what was up with her? Or, more specifically, what was up with _him_ when it came to her? She wasn't even there and yet she was almost the only thing he could think of! He hated her, or at least he tried to hate her. Damn, he missed the feeling of her burning skin - no, _enough_. He shook his head, trying to push away that thought. She had tricked him in having a kid, he was sure - all right, not _that_ sure, but he was trying his very best to convince himself, so he could finally hate her like he should.

He punched the ground again and yelled, both in pain and anger. The more he tried to hate her, the more he thought about her kisses, her touches and her moans. Oh, yes, her _moans_... and that child they had conceived... his hand clenched around a small rock as he tried to stand up despite the very high gravity on this planet.

_If this goes on, they will both die_.

At this very unusual thought, something snapped in Vegeta's brain. If he couldn't do it, then they sure wouldn't survive the androids! She was the weakest of those Earthlings and the child would be nothing but an infant. His son and that... annoyingly attractive woman would be killed. The rock in his right hand broke in millions parts as a loud, endless scream left his mouth. It was as though a wall had been broken down inside him, finally unleashing the incredible power held captive behind the stones and allowing it to flow through his veins at long last, and take over his entire body in a way that was incredibly delightful. The prince was stronger, faster, better than ever: he felt almost as powerful as he did with_ her_.

Panting, he stared at his reflection through his ship's window, and smirked. He knew it, of course, but still, he had to see it: he had finally done it. And, hell, he had no idea turning into a Super Saiyan would feel this good.

Now he was invincible. His smirk grew bigger.

_Bring it on, you bunch of rusted bolts_.

**End of the chapter:** An entirely Vegeta chapter! ^^ I hope you liked it! (yes I know it's short like the others ^^')


	13. Unexpected

**mileywinx: **Thank you ^^ I hope you will be pleased by that new one too!

**Jezzi1996:** Geez, now that's pressure - what if I get writer's bloke? XD (just kidding... I have a plan so I don't think that's gonna happen)

**lilah66:** Oh, but I think exactly the same. Vegeta loves Bulma, and vice versa, they just never told it (that's kinda sad actually). He gave up his life and even accepted to fuse with Goku for her, these are not things he would've done for someone he didn't care about ;)

**DonSani:** Thanks for the compliment ^^ I also think that it happened that way (although it was never shown... I wish they did though!), I'm trying to stick to the characters as much as I can :)

**Chapter 13: Unexpected**

Vegeta had left Earth four months ago now. Bulma's father refused to allow her to work down in the laboratory for hours like she used to, because she was always so exhausted, even though she could sleep for twelve hours in a row each night. She supposed it was because the baby she was expecting was no ordinary child: it was a Saiyan's offspring. Perhaps it was always like that, but the only person she could've asked was Chichi, and she didn't want anyone to know that she was pregnant with Vegeta's son. Yamcha knew, and it was more than enough to her: she had made him swear he would keep his mouth shut about it. Her doctor was very worried about it and had ordered that she rested as much as possible, but she couldn't _possibly_ tell him that it was like that because the baby's father was not from this planet, could she?

Of course she couldn't.

She lowered her head and stared at her stomach. It had gotten a bit bigger, of course, and was now slightly round. It was now impossible for her to lie about her pregnancy and try to say that she had just gained a little weight. She bit her bottom lip very lightly. She couldn't help but think about Vegeta whenever she saw her reflection in the mirror. _Their_ child was in there, and even though she tried to look tough and act as if she didn't care if front of Yamcha, she _did_ care. She missed him and wished he was around - of course she knew he wouldn't take care of her, and, actually, it was fine this way. She was regaining the independance she had lost with Yamcha. Whatever Vegeta was willing to give her would've been fine for her, but he wasn't about to come back anytime soon, since he wanted to turn into a Super Saiyan first. Furthermore, he had never said that he would come back right after achieving that goal...

Bulma sighed and slowly pushed a door - the door to Vegeta's empty bedroom. She stood in the doorframe for a while, looking around. It was a guest room, good-looking but impersonal. Vegeta had never cared about that: all he wanted was a convenient place to sleep, and this place did the trick. There was nothing that showed that this room belonged to someone, but then again, Vegeta didn't have anything except his armour, and he had obviously taken it with him in space. Odd. He was a prince, yet he possessed nothing...

She took a few steps forward, entering the bedroom. She ran her cold fingers on the desk, allowing her blue eyes to wander around. It looked just the way it did when she had offered him to leave in her house, but still, there was something that proved that he had been here, sleeping in that room. It was a scent that caressed her nose and reminded her of being kissed fiercly and having her body pressed against the wall, the floor... she smiled dreamingly. And that last time on the table... Geez, Yamcha wouldn't even want to _sit_ at that table if he even _suspected_ that Vegeta and her had sex on it before he left the planet.

The next thing she knew, she was laying on his bed, where his scent was the most powerful. That unique and manly scent drove her crazy even when it was just left on a bed. Come to think of it, they'd never done it in a bed... she smirked. That sounded quite unusual, but it's not like they were typical anyway. Without even thinking about she was doing, and how weird she looked, she cuddled the pillow, closed her eyes and slowly breathed in. Few months ago, if anyone had come to her to tell her that she's miss Vegeta that much, she would've laughed. But now... she quickly fell asleep, a faint smile still curving her pink lips.

* * *

Vegeta's ship landed on the grass in the middle of the night, next to the Capsule Corp. He was not coming back because of the woman, of _course_ not: he was coming back because his capsule was about to be out of fuel and he didn't want to be stick on a random planet. Plus, the ship could use some reparations.

Surely that was the only reason.

He entered the house and headed straight for his bedroom. Right now, he wanted to get a good night of sleep. He would take care of the rest later. Or, to be more accurate, he would _ask_ the woman to take care of the rest later. Vegeta kicked his white boots off his feet, dropped the gloves on the floor, and threw the rest of his armour and suit aimlessly on a chair in the corner of the room. Scratching his head, already half-asleep, he took a few steps toward his bed, but what he saw completely woke him up.

She was there, asleep on - he looked around to make sure he had entered the right room - on _his_ bed. He frowned. What was she doing there? She was wearing a white skirt and a green shirt. Her stomach had grown bigger and rounder, and he could feel that the baby's energy was much stronger than it was when he had left. Still, his question remained the same: what the _hell_ was she sleeping in his bed for?

"Woman," he said with a low voice.

Bulma didn't react, and he sighed, a bit irritated.

"Woman, wake up," he said, a bit louder.

Still no reaction. She had some nerves, using his bed and taking _forever_ to wake up while he was ordering her to do so! He tapped on her shoulder with his finger, getting from very subtle touches to harder ones, until she finally decided to wake up. She shoved the annoying hand away and threw him an angry glare.

"What in the _world_-" she started, but she lost her words when she recognised him.

She quickly sat, but didn't leave the bed.

"What are you doing in my room?"

He sneered.

"Now that's a pretty tricky one, since _you_ are in _my_ room, woman," he replied with a mocking tone.

She looked around and flushed, although he couldn't see it in the dark.

"Oh. I thought I'd just lay for a minute... but then I fell asleep."

She stood up, then looked at him. What in Kami's name... why was he only wearing his _boxers_, for heaven's sake? That was really too tempting. Oh, that's right - she was in his bedroom and he was clearly getting ready to go to bed. She bit her bottom lip.

_Note to self: do not look a Vegeta when he's wearing so little clothes_.

But that chest... she knew it felt so good pressed against her body...

"Guess I'll let you sleep," she said. "Turning into a Super Saiyan must be quite exhausting."

Vegeta smirked and sat on the edge of his bed.

"How do you know I did it?"

She slightly smiled back at him.

"Because you came back," she simply replied. "You wouldn't be here otherwise."

The smirk grew bigger.

"Damn right," he said as he laid on his bed, apparently very satisfied.  
"Well - good night, Vegeta."

She turned her back on him and was about to walk away, but he caught her forearm. She turned to him and frowned.

"Vegeta?" she said with an unsure voice after a short silence.

She was frowning - why was she looking at him like that? Oh, he had grabbed her arm. What for? He didn't even remember doing it, it was as though his hand had decided to do it on its own.

"Stay," he simply replied.

Now it was his voice that had decided to act without his brain's consent. Why was he asking her to stay? That was clearly playing with fire. He couldn't be around her for more than five minutes without feeling the urge to possess her - actually, not that he was touching her forearm's soft skin, he couldn't help but think about that burning and naked skin against his own...

Bulma blinked several times. He was asking her to _stay?_ Was she dreaming? Well, she was certainly not about to refuse that. She laid next to him, close enough to feel the warmth of his body, but not close enough to actually be touching it.

"You can let go of my arm you know. I won't run away," she said with a very subtle smile.

His fingers left her skin, but he did not speak. She bit her bottom lip: that heavy silence was slightly incomfortable. That was an incredibly awkward situation for two people who had shared far more intimate moment than just laying one next to another before. She slowly turned her head towards him, and their gaze met. Two dark and mysterious eyes dove into two beautiful oceans.

He lowered his head, and she closed her eyes, ready to be kissed, but he did none of that. Instead, he held her tight as his nose reached her neck. His hot breath on her fragile skin caused her to shiver, and she kept her eyes closed.

"You smell good," his rough voice spoke in a whisper.

Bulma dug her fingers in his black hair.

"So do you," she murmured back.

She felt him smirking on her neck. His burning breath left her neck as he slightly moved his head up. Before she could realise anything, he caught her lips in a kiss. She moaned very lightly and brought her body even closer to his. That was passionate, as it used to be, but it lasted longer, as if he was actually taking his time to appreciate it for once. It was the difference between stuffing food in your mouth as fast as possible, and taking your time to eat slowly and truly enjoy your meal. The result was the same - you ended up satisfied and happy - but the path was very different.

That kiss, Bulma knew it, meant "I missed you". Vegeta would rather die than said it out loud - and so would she, for that matter - but she could tell, by the way his tongue was playing with hers, the way he took his time with that kiss and held her so tight against his body, that it meant exactly _that_. He slightly moved both of them, so she would be under him as they kissed. His lips left Bulma's, his tongue ran down her sensitive neck, his burning breath made its way up to her ear, and his white teeth nibbled the lobe, sending chills all over her body.

"I want you," he whispered to her ear, his warm lips brushing lightly against her skin as he spoke.

He didn't need to say it, for she could _feel_ it, but that was probably the closest he'd ever be to saying "I love you" (though she didn't have any illusion on that matter), so she smiled and he kissed her again. The passion of their first moments together was getting to them, as the kiss became more and more fierce, to the point of getting almost violent, and her useless clothes flew into the air, thrown in every direction of the bedroom by the Saiyan's hands.

"Vegeta-"

Her begging voice, just what he had been wanting to hear. He smirked - he hadn't heard it for _months_ now, but hadn't forgotten how great it made him feel. She moaned, dug her nails into his skin and threw her head back on the white pillow as they became one again.

**End of the chapter:** That one was a bit longer (the chapter, I mean, not the time lol), Geez I love I-missed-you sex lol :P hope you guys liked that new update ;)


	14. Fine

**Kekke: **Lol ^^ no, she smells just the same, he's always liked her scent (he's able to notice it on Yamcha, now that's what I call a Saiyan's nose XD), it's just that he's never told before. The fact that he's been away from her and missing her (though in secret) is also a factor. Just like she understands that "I want you" was his "I love you", that "You smell good" was actually a "Damn, I missed you". Saiyan vocabulary XD Does he think that she's more attractive now, well, perhaps. At least now he can't just pretend that she's nothing to him, she's the one carrying his son ^^ that has to mean a lot. Plus, pregnant women do feel more confident and attractive in the second third of their pregnancy, and she is right there at the moment (somewhere in her fourth month). And she definitely can't get any more pregnant that she is, lmao. You want MOAR? Here's MOAR!!! :D

**Jezzi1996:** I was just kidding for the pressure ;) Now I'm curious, how on EARTH did you punch yourself? And in the face?!! XDDD

**ladyebzita:** Of course he blames it on Bulma, he's not going to blame it on him, he's too _great_ XD he's fallen in love with her, yes, he just won't admit it... I'm not even sure he's realised that it's love now. But Bulma knows it, at least...

**DonSani:** Thank you ^^ I picked "Unexpected" because Bulma never expected that she could ever miss Vegeta, Vegeta never expected that she'd be sleeping on his bed, and readers never expected (I hope!) that there would be some SWEET STUFFFFFF! :D Showing their love without making Vegeta OOC is the main challenge, in that last one he was softer but I still think moments like that happened between them (though really not often), because in Trunks' screwed-up-future (I love to call it like that, so poetic XD), Bulma says that she could tell that Vegeta loved her and cared about her, so there has to be moments where she can feel it ^^

**Chapter 14: Fine**

When Vegeta woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was how numb his right arm was. Why couldn't he feel it? He opened his dark eyes, and the reason immediately occured to him: Bulma had slept with her head resting on his arm the whole night. He scratched his head with his free hand. He wanted to get up and start training, but couldn't find a way to do so without waking _her_ up and, for some reason, he didn't want to disturb her sleep. She looked so peaceful and comfortable...

_Listen at yourself! Wasting your time because you won't wake up a darn woman, really, how **soft** have you grown? Give yourself just a little more time, and you're going to end up like Kakarot!_

As this thought crossed his mind, Bulma slowly moved in her sleep, getting even closer to him that she was when he had opened his eyes. Her soft hair caressed his chest and her delicious scent reached his nose. Why on Earth did she smell so good? He was really starting to believe in his witch theory. The young scientist made a soft and light noise, something that sounded like both a moan and a sigh. That was almost as _indecent_ as those short dresses she always wore. She was facing him, and he could see a faint smile on her lips: what was she dreaming about? Without even thinking about what he was doing, he managed to move his right hand behind her head and slowly started to stroke her blue hair. He brought her a bit closer and closed his eyes.

He didn't do anything else than just hold her closely and enjoy the warmth of her body, her perfume and her presence in silence. The prince would've rather killed himself than being seen like that by anyone, especially Bulma herself, but they were alone and she was sleeping. He could drop the mask just a little bit, like he did when he was relaxing in his bath-

"Vegeta," she sighed in a weak voice.

He opened his eyes at once and moved his fingers away from her hair, as though he had just burned himself touching it. He mentally sighed with relief when he noticed that her eyes were still closed. Apparently, she had spoken in her sleep. And she had spoken _his name_... he smirked. So, she was having a dream about him? And she sounded just like she did when she was begging him like he loved so much... he had a feeling he knew what she was dreaming about. Well, at least he wasn't the only one in here to have a _slight_ obsession over the other...

All right, all right, more than a slight one.

"Mmmhh..."

He hugged her a bit tighter as he closed his eyes again. Damn, what was up with him this morning? It's not like he didn't have any better things to do!

"Vegeta..."

This time, the voice was not as faint as the first time: Vegeta's eyes opened, and met with Bulma's sapphires.

"I've-" he started as he slightly moved back.

She gave him a subtle smile and slowly moved away from him, finally freeing his numb right arm.

"I know," she simply said. "You've got to go back to training, so you can get even stronger and kick some androids' asses when time comes."

He smirked and stood up. Well, now that was a new one: he had never expected her to understand that. Women were smarter than he'd originally thought - well, that one was, at least. One or two minutes later, he left the bedroom: Bulma slightly shook her head, rolled on her other side, and went back to sleep with a faint smile on her pink lips.

* * *

"Bulma? Hey, Bulma, are you here? Hellooo, Earth to Bulma-"  
"M'over here," she replied without thinking, raising her face from the white pillow.

Yamcha blinked when he opened the door.

"May I just ask why you moved from your bedroom to Vegeta's old room?" he asking, stepping inside the room.  
"I didn't _move_ from my bedroom-" she started.

Her friend sniffed the air two or three times, then sneered.

"Oh, I thought the scent of the ultimate bastard came to my nose when I-"  
"Yamcha," she grunted with that voice that meant he was getting_ damn_ close to a dangerous area.  
"Sorry," he said, shrugging. "Old habits. He came back, didn't he?"  
"Yes. Gimme two minutes, I just have to put my clothes on."

Yamcha did not move nor say anything. She stared at him for a few seconds, then added:

"Which means you will have to leave the bedroom, Yamcha."  
"Wha-" he started, then flushed.

They had been together for so long that he had almost forgotten: she wasn't his girlfriend anymore, he wasn't allowed to see her naked anymore. She was Vegeta's now - not that the Saiyan would ever call her or consider her his _girlfriend_, but still, she belonged to him. The scene he had witnessed just before Vegeta's departure from the Earth was more than clear. He left and closed the door behind him.

Yamcha sighed heavily in the corridor. He had promised himself that it was all over and that he would not get jealous again - for this was a lost cause - but still... still, seeing how she kept forgiving him everything, finding him excuses for being a jerk and allowing him to touch her even though he had abandonned her for four full months, that made him completely sick. Bulma reopened the door, wearing the white skirt and the green shirt she had when Vegeta had come back. She had tied her blue hair in a ponytail.

"I'm starving," she said. "You want something?"  
"Whatever you're having will be fine," he simply replied as he followed her to the kitchen.

She acted as if nothing had happened, but, thanks Kami, he wasn't as dumb as he looked. It was pretty obvious that Vegeta had come back the day before and that they had slept together - and by that, he didn't mean that they just shared his bed. What kind of silly, unhealthy relationship was that? He had been with Bulma for years and had known her for even a longer set of time: she _liked_ men, all right, but the Bulma he had dated wouldn't be satisfied by a relationship based only on sex. She had far too much pride to accept to be treated like that by anyone.

Far too much pride... like _Vegeta,_ a voice in his head admitted bitterly.

"Hey, Yamcha! Yo! Am I bothering you?"  
"Uh?"  
"Do you want something to drink?" she asked for the fifth time.  
"Oh, sorry - yes, a soda please."  
"What the hell were you thinking about?"  
"Nothing," he mumbled.

She put some ice cubes in a glass, then filled it with soda and put it right in front of her ex boyfriend as she glared at him.

"And I'm Piccolo's hidden daughter," she said on a sarcastic tone. "This is about Vegeta?"  
"No."

Bulma crossed her arms.

"Your lying skills are a bit better than Goku's, but just a_ bit_."  
"Yeah well maybe I was. I was just wondering-"  
"Just stop wondering, Yamcha. This does not concern you."

She sighed.

"Please, just drop it. I'm fine, really."  
"_Fine?_ You told him you were expecting his _child_ and he left the planet for four goddamn months! How on Earth can you be fine about that?"  
"Because I understand him," she simply replied. "Vegeta wants to be the best, and you can't be the best just by sitting on your fat ass forever. That's just... the way he is."  
"Does he love you? Does he at least look like he cares?"

_A toned body pressed against hers._

_"You smell good."_

Bulma had a faint smile.

_A burning breath on her fragile skin._

_"I want you..."_

Bulma's smile grew slightly bigger.

"Didn't think so," Yamcha replied, taking her silence as a "no". "I'm sure his mouth isn't even made to speak those words."

_Probably not... but as long as I can tell..._

_Well, as long as I can tell, it's fine with me._

**End of the chapter:** Did I mention that she was fine? XDDD Please keep on reviewing, I love reviews :D (like every author lol... deep down inside we're all attention whores :P just kidding of course)


	15. Guardian angel, well, sort of

**Kekke: **Yes, he dropped the mask for a change ^^ (and put it back on as soon as she woke up but oh well XD). I feel like it has to happen, since in the anime, Bulma is definitely changing him. I believe she's the only one who can really see the good side of Vegeta and make him "drop the mask". Plus, she's the only one to have some sort of slight control over him (like, before the androids saga. It's odd, she's the weakest of all characters, she's easily scared and all that, and _yet_, she isn't taking any of his crap and Vegeta's completely at her mercy, so hilarious). Through the years she changes him, the Vegeta that first appeared in the show would've never given up his life for anyone, never allowed to fuse with anyone, etc (and he would've never blown up a fuse upon hearing that Bulma is to kiss the old kai XD "You wouldn't be talking about _Bulma_ by any chance?!" "Uh well yeah-" "KAKAROT, YOU IDIOT! WHY DON'T YOU HAVE HIM KISS _YOUR_ WOMAN INSTEAD!") As for the ponytail, erm *flushes* of course it was meant to be hair XD Geez, was I blind or what!

**Annie:** Thank you very much!

**ladyebzita:** Yes I did XD it's kinda hard to tie your eyes into a ponytail (though I've never actually given it a try!) Bulma is "addiction" to Vegeta because he's too dumb to understand or admit that it's love ;) They're very similar indeed, I think Vegeta needs a strong person, because he has such a strong personnality himself that he couldn't stand a weakest person around him, he'd just treat that person with disdain.

**DonSani:** Yeah I know my chapters tend to be short ^^' sorry about that. I'm glad you still like it though!

**Jezzi1996:** Ok so first: thanks for the compliment ^^ second... LMAO! I can picture that and it's very funny (although I don't think I should be laughing, this kind of stuff could _really_ happen to me, that's my kind of stupid moves lol)

**lilah66:** Glad to read that ^^

**Madam Midnight: **Thank you! :D

**Chapter 15: Guardian angel, well, sort of**

"I swear," Bulma said as she put some more food in her plate. "I've never eaten that much."  
"Well I'm not that surprised," Yamcha replied. "The kid's half Saiyan. Vegeta and Goku eat like a whole family."  
"Yeah, maybe, but I'm starting to wonder if he's not turning into a Super Saiyan in there. My doctor would totally freak out if he knew how much I'm eating. He'd think something's wrong about me or the baby. He's already so worried about my fatigue. I know it's just because this is no normal child, but I can't tell my doc 'Hey, it's all right, the father's not an Earthling!'."  
"A Super Saiyan, uh?" Yamcha asked with a smirk. "You should tell Vegeta, he'd be pleased."

She laughed, and he followed.

"I'd be pleased about _what?_" a rough voice asked. "Certainly not about your presence."

Yamcha turned his head to the sound of the voice, only to see Vegeta walking towards them. His dark eyes were staring at him with a glare that was almost yelling "Get the fuck away from _my_ woman".

"What the hell are you doing here, Vegeta? Shouldn't you be training and forget about everything else?" Yamcha's voice snapped back harshly. "Or even _everyone_ else, if you know what I mean."  
"I'm hungry, and unlike _you_, I have a good reason to be here. I _live_ here."  
"Well, she's my _friend_ so I can-"

The Saiyan smirked.

"That's right. Her _friend_."  
"What's that smirk supposed to mean?! At least I-"

Bulma sighed. To have her ex boyfriend and her... her... erm... well, _Vegeta _in the same room was just a disaster waiting to happen: she had to do some damage control.

"Yamcha, stop it right _now_. Vegeta, would you just have a seat and pretend he's not here, because I'm really not going to listen at you two fighting," Bulma said as she gazed at him with intensity.

The prince sneered, and dropped on a chair as Yamcha crossed his arms and looked away. Bulma rolled her eyes. Dealing with them was really closes to dealing with children sometimes. No, on the second thought, it was worse: at least, kids grew up eventually.

"I think I'm gonna go," Yamcha said, standing up.  
"Don't let me stop you."  
"_Vegeta_," Bulma's voice grunted.  
"Forget it, Bulma. I'm gonna go and train, it was nice to see you."

Bulma glared at Vegeta when the door closed behind Yamcha.

"What?" he asked.  
"What the hell was that for?!"

He shrugged. He had a hard time explaining his own reaction to himself, let alone explain _her_. He just didn't want that guy around her. Not that there was a way he could ever steal her from him, but still. It's not like Yamcha wouldn't like it.

"I've never liked him, no surprise there," he said.  
"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you have to be such a jerk!"  
"He's an idiot!"  
"I don't care if you like him or not, he's my friend! You can't treat him like that, just _ignore_ him!"

She sighed heavily and stood up.

"I'm going down to the lab," she said as she started to walk away.

He did not speak nor move: however, when he heard a faint, painful scream and a loud noise, he raised off his chair at once. Bulma was on her knees, her arms wrapped around her stomach. He frowned - was this some kind of a joke she was doing?

"What the heck's wrong with you?" he asked.  
"Hurts," she simply replied weakly, still grimacing in pain.

She took a deep breath and stood up.

"That was so weird... like... being kicked from the inside, but so _hard_... ow..."  
"Oh."

He seemed to relax as he just sat back on his chair, picking up some food.

"What do you mean, 'oh'? You know what happened?"  
"Of course," he replied, shrugging.

But he didn't say anything more. She sighed.

"Well then tell me, if you know!"  
"I know, and so do you," he said. "You said it yourself."

The scientist frowned, and Vegeta rolled his dark eyes.

"The little one kicked you, that's all," he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Damn, it's not _that_ hard to figure out."  
"What?! No way! The baby's moves aren't supposed to hurt me! Or at least not that much."  
"Perhaps they wouldn't if you were bearing the weakling's son, or if you were tougher than that."

She blinked several times. She didn't remember Chichi telling her about that kind of thing, but, then again, she had never asked her. Why would she? It's not like she'd ever _planned_ to have a child with a Saiyan!

"Does it seriously mean that this is going to feel that way everytime he does a move?"  
"No."

Bulma sighed with relief.

"As he grows stronger, he'll hit harder," Vegeta finished.  
"What? _Harder?_ Are you seriously telling me that he's-"  
"Going to use those remaining months to train? Yes. That is in his Saiyan nature."

She rubbed her nose. Just _thinking_ about that one kick still hurt her, she couldn't bear to imagine how hard their son would kick and punch in a few months.

"Wonderful. I'm being used as a punching bag by my unborn son. Just great."  
"It can't possibly hurt _that_ much. Are you really that weak?"

Her eyes narrowed as she shot him a deadly glare, and he decided to drop the topic. Really, it was unwise to cross a female Earthling.

* * *

Later than day - it was about ten PM - Bulma was laying on the couch, half-asleep. She hadn't received any other kick and boy, was she glad she hadn't. She was about to go to her bedroom and drop to sleep for good when she heard a noise coming from the door. She sat and frowned, her eyes looking around in the dark.

"Dad, is that you?"

The silence was the only answer she received.

"Mom?" she asked, unsure.

Still no answer. She stood up.

"Vegeta?"

* * *

Vegeta had just raised the gravity level again when something caught his attention. He frowned. He could feel the energy of someone around, but not someone he knew. It wasn't Kakarot or any of Bulma's friend, that was for sure. It was too weak to belong to even that stupid Yamcha, but what truly caught his attention wasn't the strength of the energy, but its nature: it was evil. Whoever it was wasn't coming to sell cookies.

He left the capsule.

* * *

Bulma moved back. There was a tall man wearing black _there_, in the middle of _her_ dining room!

"Who... who the hell are you?" she asked.  
"I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions."

Indeed, she was not: a pregnant young woman with absolutely no fighting skill was not at her advantage in such a position. She bumped into an armchair that she hadn't seen and almost fell, causing him to laugh a little bit.

"All right, all right. Your the doctor's daughter, aren't you? Where's the lab?"

She frowned.

"The lab?" she repeated.  
"Don't play dumb, you know damn well what I mean!"

What kind of freak was that? Did he come here to steal her father's inventions? She quickly looked through the closest window. Vegeta was nowhere to be seen. _Dammit, Vegeta! Where are you when I need you?_

"You should leave, you know," she said, trying a bluff.  
"Or what? You're gonna kick my butt?"

She looked again: the capsule's door was opened, which meant that Vegeta had stopped training. Which _meant_, he was coming back. It was only a matter of time before he entered the house now. Her lips curved into a smirk.

"No, not me."

There was a loud noise coming from her right side: all she saw was a brilliant golden light and a flash of white blond hair. Blood flew in the air, and, with another loud noise, the unknown man fell on the wooden floor. She knew this couldn't take long, since a fight between a Saiyan and a low-life criminal was clearly unfair, but still, Bulma stared at Vegeta with wide eyes, mainly because she had never seen him as a Super Saiyan. Even her could feel how powerful that energy was.

"Are you all right?" his rough voice asked.

She heard him, somewhere in a corner of her brain, but she was too much in shock to reply.

"Hey, woman, I asked you a question," he said, sounding rather unpleased.

Their gazes met, but she did not speak. Then - that was it, Vegeta would _never_ get to understand her kind - before he could say or do anything else, she had caught him in a bone-crushing hug. He blinked. What was up with her?!

"You all right or not?" he asked again, really starting to run off of patience.  
"Y-yes..."

She sobbed a little, and held him closer.

"Thank you..."

_Damn woman, she says she's all right yet she's crying - how weird!_

**End of the chapter: **There you go ^^ took a bit longer than usual, but the chapter is longer so I think you'll forgive me :D


	16. Leaving you for me

**DonSani:** An angel, well sort of ^^ a very good bodyguard at the very least ;)

**Hiei08: **Lol, I actually liked the fact that Trunks was the ONLY kid in the show that wasn't a clone of his father or mother (think Goten and Goku, Pan and Videl, Bra and Bulma... do I _really_ have to go on? XD). Although how Vegeta's black hair + Bulma's blue-green hair ended up giving grey-purple hair for Trunks is a hell of a good question XD the mysteries of genetic! And thank you, I'm doing my best about everyone, especially Vegeta (my favourite too), because he must remain Vegeta BUT this is a period of changes for him, I really think it's the moment in his life where he truly quitted being a villain to finally become a hero (hey, he completely saved the day against Majin Buu! ;) )

**Kekke:** Thanks! :) No the guy's not important after that chapter. I merely used him as a tool to show Vegeta's get-the-fuck-away-from-my-woman side that is really growing.

**Lilah066:** He does, just don't tell him or he'll blast you off!! XD

**Jezzi1996:** The intruder sure won't recover any time soon - he's dead. At first I wanted to keep him alive, but then I thought there was no way on Earth a normal guy with no special training could survive a Vegeta's angry-as-hell Super Saiyan attack XD Vegeta is known for using deadly force whenever a fight occurs (think the punching machine at the tournament XDDD), so I don't see why he would hold back in front of someone who's threatening _HIS_ WOMAN! Lol. As for Bulma and her pregnancy, I'm not planning to have her telling it to anyone (except Yamcha who already knows), since in the anime Yamcha is the only one who seems to know before they all gather for the fight (well, except for Vegeta and Bulma herself of course). She's even disappointed that Goku "guesses" (well not really since he already knew but he wasn't supposed to ^^) that the baby she's holding is Vegeta's son, because she wanted to "surprise" everyone. Plus, they're all kinda isolated: Goku, Gohan and Piccolo are training together, Tien is somewhere in mountains, Krilin is at the Kame House... only Vegeta and Yamcha seem to stick around Capsule Corp. So I'll follow the official version ;)

**ladyebzita:** I guess you could say that, the intruder wanted to get to the science lab so he could steal the doctor's secrets ;)

**Chapter 16: Leaving you for me**

Her eyes closed and her mind still half asleep, Bulma rolled on her bed in hopes of getting closer to a certain Saiyan's warm body, but her skin didn't meet anything. She mentally frowned, then slowly opened her blue eyes, only to realise that she was alone in her bed. But Vegeta _was_ there when she had fallen asleep, she was positive. So, where did he go? Bulma merely shrugged, stood up, put some clothes on, and left her bedroom. Seeing how up the sun was in the sky, it looked like it was eleven or something around that: no wonder she had waken up alone in the bed. Vegeta was surely training by now. He wouldn't stand wasting so much of his precious training time.

"Hello, dear!" her mother said with a cheery grin.  
"Good morning mom," she replied, already looking in the fridge for food.

_Damn, now I know how Goku feels. Starving that much is annoying!_

"Mom, have you seen Vegeta this morning?" Bulma asked as she poured some milk in her huge bowl of cereals.  
"No, I'm afraid I haven't," she said. "Why?"  
"Oh, I just wondered."

Bulma slightly frowned over her coloured cereals. Her mother was usually up around seven: how early had Vegeta gotten up, for heaven's sake?! Someone knocked on the door, bringing her back to reality.

"I'll get it," she said, already heading for the front door.  
"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" Yamcha said, smiling widely. "I came two hours ago and your mother said you were still sleeping. I wanted to appologise for the other day, you know, with Vegeta-"  
"It's all right, Yamc-_wait a minute!_"

He blinked several times. Wasn't she overeacting a little about his comment? _Geez, those pregnant woman hormones, I swear... I'm starting to think it's a good thing we didn't have a kid when we were together._

"What? That sleeping beauty thing was just a joke-"  
"No, I'm not talking about your silly fairytale joke! Move over!"

Her sapphire eyes had just noticed something over her guest's shoulder. She moved her dumbfounded friend out of the way, stepping forward, only to confirm with her eyes what she already knew with her soul and heart: Vegeta's capsule was not there anymore.

"What are you staring at, Bulma? Something wrong with your grass?"  
"Vegeta's ship... it... it's _gone!_"  
"Oh, that's right, I hadn't noticed."  
"You wouldn't notice that ship even if it was right on your nose!"  
"Hey, don't get mad at me! It isn't _my_ fault he left."

She took a deep breath.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Come inside, I was having breakfast."

Bulma dropped back on her chair. Her face seemed neutral, but that didn't fool Yamcha: he _knew_ those eyes. She was mad, _damn_ mad.

"Why did he left that time?" he carefully asked.  
"I have no _freaking_ idea," she replied. "Probably wanted to train under tougher conditions than those the capsule can give him. It already broke on him one time because he pushed it too far, I guess he doesn't want it to happen again."  
"But I thought he had done it. The Super Saiyan transformation, I mean. Didn't he say he wouldn't come back before he had achieved it?"  
"He did," she sighed.

Her pink lips curved into a faint smile.

"But he's not going to stop there," she replied. "This transformation gives him a whole new potential, he surely wants to push that potential as far as he can. Goku would do exactly that too, so I guess deep down inside Saiyans are all the same."  
"So he just left without saying? That's no gentleman manner. Goku would not do that."

Bulma laughed.

"Who said Vegeta was a gentleman?"

She merely shrugged.

"It's fine. I kinda expected it. Sooner or later, he's going to come back anyway."

Yamcha slightly frowned. Was she delusionnal? There was nothing that stopped Vegeta from settling down on another planet and control its inhabitants by force, after all. Just because she was expecting his baby wasn't going to change anything for him. He had already left for four full months, after all.

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "I mean he is going to come back, not because of me or the little one, but because he's going to run out of fuel _eventually. _Moreover, if the fuel's not the problem, he'll run out of time one day."  
"Of... of time?"  
"Think. We've got a deadline - almost litteraly. Vegeta wants to fight the androids."  
"You think he wants to save the Earth that much? Are you talking about the same guy who wanted to kill us all not that long ago?"

She glared at him.

"Because you think Vegeta ever wanted to work for _Frieza?_ That guy killed his whole people you know! And then he enslaved Vegeta! Vegeta obeyed to him because he knew he was no match for Frieza if he was ever to rebel, but all he was truly doing was waiting for a chance to free himself. The Dragon Balls were that opportunity he had waited for for so long, no wonder he wanted them so badly."

Yamcha blinked several times. She seemed to know about that story even more than Goku, how the hell did she manage to find that out? She wasn't around when Vegeta had told all that to Goku!

"How the hell do you know that?"  
"Vegeta told me," she simply replied. "One day, I asked him why he wanted immortality so much back on Namek. I mean, Vegeta's not the kind of guy who would mind dying in a fair fight, so I wondered, and he told me. And _anyway_, I'm not saying he wants to save the _world_, that's Goku's type, no Vegeta's. I'm only saying he wants this fight. Firstly, because he's not gonna miss such a show and opportunity to test his strength, and secondly, because that boy from the future said Vegeta would die during the fight. He'll want to prove that guy wrong by kicking those androids' asses."

Yamcha was about to reply, but Bulma grimaced in pain.

"Ow..."  
"Hey, what's wrong?!" he asked, a bit worried.

It took her about one minute and a few deep breaths to be able to reply:

"According to Vegeta, it's _nothing_," she said.

He blinked several times.

"And what does 'nothing' mean for Vegeta?"  
"Basically, the baby's using me as his gravity capsule," she explained.  
"Vegeta said that?! How rude!"

Bulma shook her head.

"No, he didn't say it like that. That's my version. Actually, he said the child's using the remaining time inside me to train and get stronger. So he's not just moving normally like a human baby, he's punching and kicking. _Damn_ hard."  
"You're kidding me?"  
"Do I look like I'm joking?! Vegeta said it was in the Saiyan nature to do that. They're a warrior people after all, so it's not really surprising when you think about it."  
"Geez, I wouldn't wanna be a female Saiyan if all their kids do that."  
"From what Vegeta said, I don't think it hurts them. I guess they're tougher than us, but since I'm _not_ a goddamn Saiyan, it hurts like hell."  
"You seem pretty calm about it, what if it's dangerous?"  
"Chichi managed to do it, so I guess I'm gonna be all right too. Plus, Vegeta didn't seem worried."

Yamcha rolled his eyes.

"Excellent. Oh, well, if that didn't worry Mr. I-care-so-much-about-Bulma-and-our-kid-that-I-left-again-on-another-planet, I won't see why _I_ would worry."

Bulma shook her head, but didn't reply as her blue eyes wandered to the big window behind her friend. All right, Vegeta didn't seem to care that much about her in general, but there were moments... when he had kissed her deeply few days ago, whispering her how much he wanted her, the way he was acting when Yamcha was around, and that burglar he'd killed in one blow to protect her... well, in moments like that, she _knew_ that he cared. He wouldn't say it, of course.

Never.

But she could definitely tell.

**End of the chapter:** There you go - I know, he's shorter than the one before, like all the others *slaps her own hand as a punishment* hope you liked it though! ;)


	17. Meet the heir

**Hiei08:** Lol, he sure does! I love the young Trunks MUCH better than the future Trunks, kid Trunks is like a mini Vegeta, whereas future Trunks was a SISSY XD "No, I don't wanna show my real power to my father, or else I might hurt his feelings and he will hate me" DUH! I also loved kid Trunks' friendship with Goten, how he's ordering him around, that was so hilarious!

**ladyebzita:** Lol XD no it's not a death wish, it's just that in the anime they remain close friends and it is implied he has been in contact with her during the time everyone was training for the fight with the androids. Of course whenever he goes to Capsule Corp, he hopes/expects Vegeta to be training in his capsule ^^'

**mileywinx:** Glad you're liking it ;)

**Chapter 17: Meet the heir**

Bulma slowly lifted her head as she sat. She had been laying on the couch for about one hour, not sleeping but _relaxing_. Something she hadn't done in the last two weeks. She stood up, heading for the nearest window. That noise coming from the outside... it could only be that. The ship. Or... her imagination? She was so tired, so perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her again.

But not this time.

The capsule's door slid opened, and a dark silhouette got out the spaceship. It was very dark, and all she could see was a short and toned figure with spiked hair.

_Vegeta_.

Her blue eyes followed him as he walked towards the front door, unaware of the fact that she was spying on him. A faint noise came from a room in the house. Bulma's sapphire eyes left Vegeta as she looked over her shoulder, bitting her bottom lip nervously. How would he react? The door opened and he stepped inside, but she didn't move.

"I didn't expect you to be up this late," the Saiyan said upon noticing her presence.

She took a few steps closer to him. His suit was tore in many places, his armoured chest broken and dirty. Wherever he had been during those months, she knew for sure it hadn't been vacation - not that Vegeta had ever done or said anything implying that he actually _knew_ what "vacation" meant.

"So you could just leave again unnoticed?" her voice asked without her consent.

Bulma could swear he had smirked at that very moment.

"Not really," he simply replied, taking off his gloves.

She saw him frowning in the dark as he stared at her.

"You're thinner than I thought you'd be."

She merely shrugged.

"I don't know how it worked on your planet, but on Earth, pregnant women don't remain pregnant their whole life," she replied.

The prince's body froze like a statue. So it had... happened? He thought he would come back before their son's birth... had he miscalculated something, or had he just stayed in space longer then he thought? Now that she said it, he could feel it: she was emitting only one energy signal - her own. The baby's energy wasn't within her anymore.

"When?" he asked with a very blank expression on his face.  
"Two weeks ago."

Her teeth bit her bottom lip again in nervosity.

"Do you... do you want to see him? He's sleeping right now..."

Vegeta didn't reply, but when she started walking towards the corridor, his legs followed. Why did he feel so weird about being late for his son's birth? He was not supposed to care about these futile things! He stepped inside what used to be a guest room, much like the one he was sleeping in: from beige and white, it was now painted in different tones of blue and grey. Bulma bent over a blue crib, speaking in a very soft voice:

"Come here, my baby..."

The infant sobbed one or two times, apparently unhappy to be forced to wake up in the middle of his nap.

"It's all right, it's mom - don't cry, honey..."

As if her words had been magic, the child was reduced to silence. She turned to Vegeta and smiled, but he didn't react. He couldn't take his eyes from that little thing she was holding in her arms. So small and fragile in appearance, and yet he could already feel a great potential in that baby. _Well, no wonder. He's my son after all._ A smirk creeped on his lips at this thought.

The prince took one step forward, still looking at the infant she was holding. _Wait a minute_. Now that he was closer, he could see that the baby's hair... wait a minute! Purple?! PURPLE?!!! The last of the Saiyan royal bloodline was born with goddamn purple hair? Was this a joke? What kind of bad genes did that woman carry?

Oh, purple was a fine colour, all right. On a FLOWER! Not on a future warrior's head!

"That's daddy - that's right my little Trunks, _daddy!_ You give a smiley face to daddy?"

He blinked several times, starting at her face for the first time since he had entered the bedroom.

"Excuse me?" he said. "_Trunks?!_ You named your - _OUR_ - son Trunks?!"

Vegeta's voice, much rougher and harder than Bulma's, caused the baby to burst into tears. Bulma glared at Vegeta as she tried to comfort her child.

"Well yes, I named him Trunks! What's wrong with you, everyone agrees that it's a fine name! Besides, what name would _you_ give him, Vegeta? Salad or something?"  
"Anything but _Trunks!_ That's no name for a warrior!"  
"Who said he was gonna be a warrior?! Maybe he wants to be something else!"  
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

The baby boy was crying louder and louder now.

"It's all right, my baby, calm down now - stop _yelling_, Vegeta, you're making him cry!"  
"Quiet!"  
"That's not going to work on him," she sighed. "You're just making it worse."  
"I wasn't talking to him, I was talking to _you_."

She shot him a deadly glare, but did not reply: Trunks finally calmed down. Vegeta's gaze moved on his son again. _Purple hair and a lame name. Great, just great. Now I know the honour and grandeur of the Saiyan race will go on. _But then... then, the child looked at his father right into the eyes, and Vegeta saw something that saved his opinion about that kid. Two sapphires were gazing at him with intensity.

"He's got your eyes," he said in a whisper.

She gave him a faint smile in response.

"That's what Yamcha said," she replied without thinking.

Vegeta's dark eyes narrowed.

"The weakling saw him?"  
"The name's _Yamcha_, and yes he did. He comes to visit me pretty often."  
"Really?" he replied, slightly smirking.

Now that was something he didn't like at all: that idiot around_ his_ woman and _his_ son while he was away, training in space. One day he'd come back to see her married to that stupid guy and his son turned into one of those damn weaklings. There was only one thing he could do to prevent that.

Never leave Earth ever again.

**End of the chapter:** If you wonder why Bulma said he would name him "Salad", it's because all the Saiyans have a vegetable-related name XD (Kakarot, Vegeta, Raditz...). Just thought I'd follow XDDD


	18. Final confrontation

**DonSani:** LOL didn't know about that Table guy, geez... but that explained the name of the planet anyway, it's Vegeta just like the king and prince... they REIGN OVER all the VEGETABLEZZZZZZ!! XD (that was to make kid want to eat their veggies and it's also the main reason why some people learned to spell vegetables correctly at a very young age. VEGETA-b-l-e-s lol)

**Kekke:** Oh really? I thought Bulma's father had his hair like that because he was old (since, you know, they're like grey-purple). I thought it was great that for once there was a half-Saiyan that didn't fit the stereotype, yeah ^^ (although it's kinda normal that Gohan, Goten and Pan all have dark hair, because both their mothers and fathers are like that but oh well ^^') To me, kid Trunks has his father's strength and confidence, but his mother's heart (as opposed to future Trunks who doesn't have Vegeta's arrogance, since he grew up without knowing him... he's a darn _sissy_ XDD). Although he's not as emotional as Bulma since when Vegeta hugs him for the first and last time, he's like "Geez, dad, seriously, that's embarassing!" XD But you're right, their faces look alike ^^ that's why I thought Trunks was the best-looking kid, he was original yet you could tell who his parents were!

**Hiei08:** "Cheer up, Kakarot: there's always next year!" lol that was so funny. I don't know that other site, but I'd like you to show me your story if you publish it ^^ (by the way, why don't you publish it here? There are yaoi fics out there...)

**Jezzi1996:** I've never listened to the Abridged DBZ lol. Yes knowing that there won't ever be a pure-blooded Saiyan hurts for the prince, but he's still proud to have a son sharing his royal blood. Trunks is as Saiyan as one can be (although with the purple hair... Vegeta has a slight doubt XD). Whoever wants to hug or bother him could use an ambulance or a coffin :P (as for Trunks hugging Vegeta, I'm not sure, since he's like so embarrassed when Vegeta hugs him before dying ^^ sure he wanted it deep inside though, at least when he was younger)

**lilah66:** Thank you very much, I really appreciate because I'm doing my best to keep everybody IC and try to follow what we know about those years waiting for the androids ^^

**miikodesu:** Thank you ^^ noo, you mispelled it! It's p-r-i-n-c-e, no p-r-i-c-k! XD "I am Vegeta, the PRICK of all Saiyans!" ... "Wait, lemme try this again." If you still have this fanart I'd love to see it, must be so hilarious XD (and their daughter's name isn't any better... Bra, I mean come _on_, who name their daughter _BRA!_ She's gonna get bullied like hell at school) as for Bulma's dominant genes, I don't know. If I were to push the analyse pretty far, I'd say that it might be a way for the creators of DBZ to show us that even though she appears at the weakest character (given the fact that she does not fight), she is still very strong and she is one that Vegeta cannot dominate or control (especially for Bra's looks, since she is a sosie of her mother). Bulma's features being passed down to both of her kids (Trunks' blue eyes and Bra's general look) would show that she is Vegeta's equal (especially in Trunks' case because he looks like both of his parents).  
Also, from a storyline point of view, the fact that Trunks isn't a copy of his father is very important, because if he looked a lot like him, the other characters would've immediately recognised the guy from the future as Vegeta's son (or they wouldn't but people watching the show would be like "Gosh, they're DUMB AND BLIND!"), instead of wondering about his identity until he reveals himself later. Therefore, I believe that Trunks' birth would not even occur, because I really don't think that Vegeta wanted a kid at the beginning (and neither did Bulma, she said she wasn't planning on becoming a mother any time soon), so he would've made sure that it was not going to happen.

**Syve:** Thank you very much ^^ (finally someone who likes my short chapters lol ;) )

**Chapter 18: Final confrontation**

"So that's it?" Yamcha asked, staring at his friend.

Bulma nodded.

"All he said was that he disagreed with the name? That's it?" he repeated.  
"_Yes_, as I've told you ten times already."  
"What the... why does he even care about that anyway?"

She shrugged.

"That his son too after all," she replied.

The blue-haired woman bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Do you think I should've... waited for him?"  
"To give birth to Trunks?" Yamcha asked, blinking. "You hardly had any control over _that_."  
"No, I mean, for the _name_, you dummy! He's Vegeta's son, perhaps I should've waited for him to come back before I picked a name."

Yamcha rolled his eyes and was about to say something insulting about Vegeta, but when he noticed that his friend really seemed affected by that, he changed his strategy:

"Look, you had no mean to know when he was going to come back on Earth. He came back two weeks after Trunks' birth, it might have been one week or one month later than that," he said. "You had absolutely no way to guess, and you couldn't leave your child without a name forever because you were waiting for the father to decide that it was about time he brought his ass back on your planet."

Bulma sighed heavily.

"It's true. Still, I feel like it was wrong of me to do that. I feel like I've deprived him of something important. Like I've taken away from him the privilege of having anything to do with his only son's name."

Yamcha shook his head, taking Bulma's delicate hands in his as he looked at her directly in the eyes.

"Bulma, listen to me. Who's feeding Trunks?"  
"Me. Yamcha, I'm _breast feeding_-"  
"Who's changing the diapers?"  
"That's me," she replied.  
"Who wakes up and leaves the bed at night when he's crying? Who's hugging him and comforting him?"  
"Me," she said again, "But-"  
"No buts, Bulma, I'm not done", Yamcha said, cutting her in the middle of her sentence. "Vegeta came back about three weeks ago, and does he help you in _any_ way with the baby?"

Bulma slightly bobbed down.

"No," she admitted.  
"See? You had absolutely no obligation to wait for him, because he is not taking _any_ responsability. You can't have privileges if you don't handle your responsabilities! He must either get involved in Trunks' life and education, or shut the fuck up about how you do it for him."

She stared at him in silence, then gave him a faint smile.

"Thank you," she simply said.

The door opened and Vegeta stepped inside the house, heading straight for the kitchen. He stopped next to the table, glaring at Yamcha's hands that were still holding Bulma's. His eyes narrowed, and Yamcha quickly took off his hands, as if he had been burned by the prince's piercing what-the-fuck-do-you-think-you-are-doing look. Vegeta smirked, satisfied, and dropped on a chair. Yamcha crossed his arms and shot him a deadly glare - though only in his back, for he was not stupid enough to risk being attacked by the Saiyan _again_.

Vegeta didn't quite understand why he was acting like that. He wasn't in love with her or anything - Geez, certainly not. Love was for weaklings like that Yamcha or imbeciles like Kakarot. Still, he enjoyed many things in her. Her cheery smile, her delicious scent, her voice screaming his name, the touch of her hands on his skin... even her bad temper had proved itself to be enjoyable. All these things he enjoyed, he wanted to be the only one to enjoy them ever again. And she was also incredibly insolent towards him for such a weak person. How come she wasn't scared of him? He could kill her in one punch if he wanted...

_No, I couldn't_.

Well, physically, he could - no doubt about that. She wouldn't stand a chance. Morally, too, he could do it. He had no problem at all with murder: he had killed hundreds, thousands, millions of innocent people under Frieza's order, and regaining his freedom hadn't made him any softer. He was still that ruthless, cold-blooded warrior. He could grab a random guy in the streets and kill him for no reason if he felt like it. But not that woman - who had given him many reasons to hit her, like forcing him to wear a pink shirt and entering the bathroom unanounced when he was taking a bath - Vegeta knew he couldn't even lay a single finger on her with the intention of hurting her, no matter how annoying she could get.

He was brought back to reality by Trunks' cries.

"Well," Yamcha's voice said in his back. "If it isn't _your_ son crying - why don't you go and handle that, _daddy?_"  
"Drop it, Yamcha," Bulma said, already heading for her baby's room.

She knew better than try to force him to take care of Trunks. Vegeta turned at his rival, shooting him a deadly glare. Why didn't he just get the hell out of this place and get a woman of his own, for Kami's sake?!

"What is _your_ problem? If you have some sort of death wish, I can handle _that!_"  
"My problem is that you have a kid with one of my best friends and you don't care! Trunks is half you, yet she does all the job!" Yamcha replied, getting angrier every word he spoke.  
"You imbecile - I'm a warrior, in case you haven't noticed! Not a baby sitter!"  
"What the hell is wrong with you? Goku's taking good care of Gohan with Chichi, that doesn't stop him from being a great warrior!"

Vegeta sneered.

"Yes, and it is _very_ clear that I've always thought of Kakarot as a role model!" he said on a sarcastic tone.  
"Well you should, because he's better than you, in every fucking way."

The prince stood up, causing his chair to fall noisily on the floor as he did so.

"How dare you - do you really want me to put you in a coffin?!"  
"Besides, it's not considered baby sitting when it's about your own child, just for your information!"  
"Well still, it isn't _my _job to change diapers!"  
"HEY!" Bulma's voice yelled from Trunks' room. "Would you guys keep it down, I'm trying to put a baby back to sleep here, for Kami's sake!"

Her voice changed, softer but still easy to hear:

"Yes, Trunks, daddy's got a bad temper - yes he does, my little baby!"

Vegeta glared at Yamcha, who simply shook his head.

"You know," he said, "You disappoint me, Vegeta."  
"Oh, no, _please_, such cruel words destroy my poor heart!" Vegeta said, smirking cunningly.  
"No, really, I mean it."

He shrugged.

"So this 'prince of all Saiyans' thing is just a front. It sounds cool but it means nothing."  
"MEANS NOTHING?!"  
"Vegeta, keep it d-" Bulma started.  
"QUIET!" his voice snapped back quite nastily at her.

He stared back at Yamcha.

"Sounds cool but means nothing? How dare you?! Have you any idea who you're talking to? I was born with royal blood, I was _born _a prince, and I shall _die_ a prince! Even if I were to be the last one standing, I will always be the-"  
"Yeah, yeah, you're the prince of all Saiyans, we get it already," Yamcha cut him, sounding quite bored. "I just wondered though, isn't a prince supposed to take care of his people?"

Vegeta's hand clenched into a fist. _That little insect - how dare he!_

"It isn't _my_ fault that Frieza-" he started, but Yamcha cut him with a waving motion of his hand.  
"No, not your planet's destruction. Answer my question, Vegeta: isn't a prince supposed to take care of his people?"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed.

"Of _course_," he replied. "What are you, an idiot or something?"  
"So I'm right. It's just a front," he said, heading for the door.  
"WHAT? Wait a minute - you've got some nerves, insulting me like that and then turning your back on me. HEY, don't turn your back on me you bastard, I'm gonna-"

Yamcha shrugged, still walking towards the door.

"Shout all the threats that you want, Vegeta. I know that you're fake from head to toe."

He glanced at him over his shoulder as he opened the house's front door.

"Because the real prince of all Saiyans would take care of his own son."

The door closed behind Yamcha before Vegeta could even think about something to reply.

**End of the chapter:** GEEZ I had Yamcha's last line written in my head since I started writting that fic (and even before, when I was planning on starting it), you have no idea how GOOD it feels to finally write it! XDD


	19. A prince's duty

**Kekke: **Thanks, I like to write that rivalry, that's funny ^^ you're perfectly right, Vegeta is stronger physically whereas Yamcha is stronger morally. Much more reliable, too XD (although I'd go as far as saying that Vegeta is still more reliable than Goku... I mean think about the end of DBZ, who the fuck leaves him wife, sons and friends to go train some random guy in his goddamn village XD)

**Hiei08: **These are two universes I don't know ^^ I didn't know that you couldn't publish story written like that, though. Well, tell me if you ever publish that DBZ story, I'd like to read it no matter where it is! ;)

**Madam Midnight: **THANK YOU :D I've wanted for so long to finally PUT IT that I think I wouldn't even care if people didn't like it, just getting it out of my brain and putting it in a chapter makes me damn happy!

**Syve: **Yes, I perfectly agree. I loved that Vegeta first appears as being "perfect". Like, at first he's stronger than Goku (who has to go kaiokenx4 to stand a chance AND use the help of his friends whereas Vegeta fought alone), he has Nappa (who is like four times bigger and taller than him under his orders - of course that's because Vegeta is his prince but this is something we don't know at this point) under his orders, he's very clever (much more than Goku, which isn't very hard but still), and he appears to be extremely cold-hearted and cruel. You're like, Geez, that guy is invincible! However as the story goes on the mask falls: he is not invincible at all (and despite being very arrogant, he knows he isn't the strongest, or else he wouldn't need immortality against Frieza), and he certainly does not have a heart of stone. Vegeta's one of the deepest (if not THE deepest) character in the entire show, and is surely the one who evolves the most. Gotta love the prince of all Saiyans! :D

**DonSani: **Yeah, he was too shocked to blast him off (plus, secretly, he doesn't really want to, as Bulma would never forgive him... well, he wouldn't do it in front of her, at the very least XD). The movie's very funny, you're right! "Oh, Vegeta, you're not eating that?" *Goku grabs the sushi and shoves it in his mouth* "WHAAAT! I WAS KEEPING IT FOR THE END!". Goku, you silly boy: you better than anyone else should know that it is unwise to mess with a Saiyan's precious food! By the way, I was like "What the..." for two seconds when Tarble first appeared, because he has a tail and there's like no one else who still has it in the show XD then I thought "Oh, yeah, Saiyan do have a tail normally..." (I wondered, how come Trunks and Goten were born without a tail? Gohan had one when he was little...)

**miikodesu:** Thank you ^^ as for the fanart, don't worry, it's all right - just imagining it is funny enough for me XD

**Chapter 19: A prince's duty**

A baby's cries in the middle of the night.

Vegeta, still half-asleep, merely grunted as he dug his head under his pillow. Not _again!_ How many times per night could a baby cry? Wasn't he out of breath? How could such small lungs gather so much oxygen to cry and shout for attention, again and again and again? Bulma's body left his side, as she woke up in silence and headed for the door, just like she had done about one hour ago. Vegeta didn't move a muscle. Seriously, what was he crying for that time? Couldn't he just sleep like normal people?

Trunks stopped crying, and his father pushed the white pillow away and sighed with relief. He was a prince, for Kami's sake: he had no obligation to endure _that!_

_I know that you're fake from head to toe._ Vegeta shook his head. How could he be affected by this weakling's words? He was just an idiot! A stupid little insect that was lucky as _hell_ Vegeta hadn't crushed him under his foot.

_The real prince of all Saiyans would take care of his own son_.

Like this imbecile had any idea of what it meant to be a Saiyan prince anyway! That was just plain ridiculous. But, then again, if it was so ridiculous, why was he paying him so much attention? Why were these words coming back to him now? And, more importantly, why did he feel that his pride had been hurt so badly by Yamcha's sentence? He threw the sheets back and sat on the edge of Bulma's bed.

The next thing he knew, he was standing right in front of Trunks' door. It was only half-opened, and the corridor was dark, allowing Vegeta to look inside the blue bedroom without Bulma seeing him. She was sitting on a rocking chair, with the baby in her arms: she was moving the chair slowly, probably to make her - _their_ - son falling back to sleep faster. He wasn't crying anymore, but he was still awake, looking at his mother. It was only after about ten secondes of observation that Vegeta noticed that she was speaking.

"Just go back to sleep, sweetie..."

Her voice was very low and soft: even Vegeta felt relaxed listening to that sound.

"You have to sleep, my little Trunks, if you want to grow up strong like daddy... maybe you can really be a great warrior like him..."

Bulma kissed the child's forehead, and the prince's dark eyes widened in shock. But he thought... he thought... for some reasons, he'd been _sure_ all along that she hated the fact that he was her son's father. He thought that she'd like it better if it was anyone else than him. After all, he had never imagined he would be a father one day, let alone a _good_ one, and _no_, he wasn't flattering himself that he was being a good father right now: but he thought Bulma believed the same thing. What kind of woman in her right mind would want him as a father to her kid? He was a ruthless warrior who wasn't so keen on settling down and dealing with children's education, that woman had to be crazy. Not to mention that he had first come on her planet to kill everyone, including those that she loved and cared about.

And _yet_, she was telling her son that she wanted him to grow up and be strong like him?

And _yet_, she wanted her son to become a great warrior, just like him?

Somehow, this thought spread warmth all over his body and comfort in his heart.

In the bedroom, Bulma stood up carefully, and slowly put Trunks back in his blue crib, and, without thinking, Vegeta took one step inside the room. She turned her head and frowned upon seeing him.

"Yes?" she said in a whisper.

He got closer to her and Trunks' crib.

"Is he all right?" he asked awkwardly with a voice that was much softer and lower than usual.

Bulma frowned even more.

"Yes. Something must've scared him, I put him back to sleep now. He's ok," she finished, but Vegeta wasn't listening anymore.

He was staring at the sleeping infant with his arms crossed. That kid looked absolutely nothing like a Saiyan - no, he hadn't gotten over that goddamn violet hair. The only thing that saved him from being a cause of complete despair for his father was his eyes. He truly had his mother's eyes, but still, the hair... _humph._ If he wasn't going to have his dark hair, he could at least have his grandmother's. Ok, the woman was _completely_ out of it - he couldn't decide whether she was really mentally ill or just plain dumb - but she was blonde. Blond hair would've make Trunks look like a Super Saiyan, that was better than that sissy lavender hair he had!

"Vegeta?" Bulma asked, but he didn't hear her.

If Trunks wasn't going to look like a Saiyan, then he would _act_ like one. Vegeta had already decided to stay on Earth few weeks ago, but now he wanted to do more than just sticking around. He'd actually take care of the kid. Well, for the diapers, food, cries in the middle of the night, scratched knees and first steps, you could _definitely_ count him out. That was women's business, and the last time he had checked, he was still not a woman, but he'd take care of his son in the good old Saiyan fashion.

By training him. Trunks had a huge potential, he could feel it: well, that potential would not get unexploited for long with his father around.

This had nothing to do with feeling guilty about Bulma or anything, nor was it about Yamcha's words the day before: it was about Vegeta himself. He wouldn't bear to see the last of the Saiyan bloodline, his own son, growing up as a weakling like an Earthling, or a spoiled little brat like Kakarot's spawn. That boy would be a proud warrior like his father, nothing less. Well, maybe not right now. He'd had to be able to stand up and walk, first. Then he could teach him how to fly, and then-

"Vegeta?" Bulma repeated, this time catching his attention.  
"Yeah, what?"  
"He's finally sleeping, maybe we should leave... I don't want to wake him up."

Vegeta simply nodded and followed her back to her bedroom. He laid back on the bed, and she cuddled him - sometimes he would just ignore her and she'd get the message pretty quickly, but this time, he held her closely as he closed his eyes. He felt her smiling as she made herself more comfortable in his arms.

"It's tomorrow," she finally said after a short moment of silence.  
"Yes, I'm well aware of that. What, are you scared?"  
"Who, me? No!"

She bit her bottom lip.

"All right, maybe a little. That guy said all of you died fighting the androids..."  
"Well, maybe if they caught us by surprise, but we know they're coming."

Vegeta smirked.

"And, personnally, I can't wait to blast them off."

Bulma merely shook her head as a soft, subtle laugh left her lips.

_Saiyans will always be Saiyans_.

**End of the chapter:** There ya go! So, at first, the next chapter was supposed to be the last, that was what I had in mind. And then I thought SCREW THIS, I wanna have Trunks growing up and all that. So I want you to know that the fanfic should last for a while ^^ (unless you all collectively ask me to end it the day the fight begins ^^' ) and, ok, that one was short, my apologises XD


	20. Revelation

**Syve: **I agree, though you must remember that he was kicking Cell's butt big time before he allowed him to absord 18 ^^ They should've let him kill at LEAST one main villain (and personally I would've gone for Frieza, that would've meant to much to him to be the one to take him down). However, he is technically the one who killed Majin Buu - I say _technically_ because Goku did it with the Spirit Bomb, BUT it was all Vegeta's plan, he outsmarted Buu and found a way to destroy him completely. Had it not been for Vegeta, the whole Universe would've been a goner that day XD

I'll sure write about that moment, though perhaps not like how you think ^^ I won't ignore it (that's pretty important ^^) although I won't write like ten chapters about the androids and Cell saga, I mean we've all seen that, there is very little room for me to invent and I'm not really into re-writing entire episodes XD but you'll see!

**Kekke:** Aw XD well if I'm forbidden, I won't! XD Btw I liked that moment too ^^

**Hiei08:** PURPLE?????!!!!!!! Lol. Yeah, me too, I was like what kind of names is THAT! Here's the message DBZ sent to an entire generation of children: kids, eat your veggies and wear your undies!

**miikodesu:** Yes, getting over lavender hair is hard for Vegeta! And of course he cannot lay a finger on Bulma ^^ he just figured that out lol. He's at her mercy in the anime, that's so funny!

**Madam Midnight:** Hehe ^^ then you will see MOAR!!

**arwens-light:** Thank you very much for your nice comment! :D

**lilah66:** Thanks ^^

**Chapter 20: Revelation**

When Bulma opened her eyes that morning, she found herself alone in the bed. Well, it wasn't a big surprise after all: the day had finally come, the day where the fight with the androids would begin, and Vegeta was surely not going to miss any seconde of this. She stood up, quickly put some clothes on, and headed for her son's bedroom: after carefully pushing the door, she slowly walked towards the crib. She smiled. The baby was already awake, staring at the stars painted on his ceiling, waving his gauche arms in the airs in attempts to catch them.

"Hello you," she said with her most loving voice as she took him in her arms with the utmost care.

Trunks let go a sound that sounded like a laugh. She got him some clothes - which wasn't an easy task, since he didn't seem so keen on wearing a shirt - before grabbing her baby bag and leaving the room, her son resting comfortably against her breast.

"Are you leaving so quick?" her mother's voice asked as she passed in front of her in the dining room, ignoring the food on the table.  
"Yes, I have to," she replied.  
"But I've made your favourite pancakes, what can possibly be such a hurry?"

Bulma refrained herself from sighing. Sometimes, she really thought her mother was not mentally stable. It was her father who liked pancakes, not _her_.

"Thanks, but I've got to go. The others are gonna fight the androids today."

She put her hand on the handle, and was stopped by her father's voice:

"What? But you can't bring Trunks there! It's too dangerous!"

Bulma turned to him with a smile, then glanced down at Trunks.

"Hey, Trunks," she said with a cheerful voice, "You wanna see how daddy's doing against those big mean androids?"

Trunks laughed and clapped his small hands happily.

"You really are Vegeta's son, my boy. Maybe you can show daddy some new tricks, uh? Well, then it's settled," she concluded towards her fathre and mother. "Please don't worry, any of you. We'll all be ok. With Goku and Vegeta on our side, nothing can possibly happen."

As she opened and closed the door behind her, doctor Brief blinked several times.

"Vegeta's... _Vegeta's_ son?" he repeated.  
"Oh my, but isn't she engaged with Yamcha? The poor boy, that is going to break his fragile little heart to learn that Trunks is not his son!"

Outside, Bulma was getting inside a Capsule Corp flying jet. The doctor shook his head.

"Erm, no, darling," he replied. "They're not engaged."  
"So then is she engaged with Vegeta? He's a bit grumpy as a son-in-law..."

He didn't reply, for he had truly no idea, but he still had a feeling the situation wasn't _that_ simple.

* * *

Bulma landed the ship carefully on a cliff: she barely had the time to get Trunks and herself out that Yamcha landed, quickly followed by Krillin and Goku.

"Hi everyone!" she said cheerfully, putting back the jet in its capsule.

Behind Goku, Krillin was staring at her with his eyes as huge as a Saiyan's stomach.

"Erm, Bulma, you're - just so you know, you're holding... erm-"  
"If you think _that_'s a surprise," Yamcha said rather coldly, his arms crossed and his back turned on her, "Then wait 'til she tells you who's the _father_."

The bald guy blinked several times, staring at both of them. Clearly, something important had occurred during these three years of intense training - Bulma having a child with someone else than the one that was supposed to be her boyfriend, for instance.

"You mean you're _not_ the father?" he asked.  
"I'll bet it's Vegeta!" Goku said happily, walking towards Bulma and Trunks.

He bent a little, smiling at the baby in his friend's arms and waving at him.

"Isn't it, little Trunks?!"

Both Yamcha and Krillin looked surprise: as for Bulma, she was frowning at him.

"How... how did you guess? I wanted to keep it a surprise to all of you..."

Goku's eyes widened, and he scratched his head. _Dammit, why can I be so stupid! I'm not supposed to know this!_ He grinned, though it was too much to look natural.

"Weeeeell, he does kinda look like him, doesn't he??" he said. "But then, as for the _name_, all right, how did I guess, I mean what were the probabilities - erm -"

Bulma gazed at him with intensity, her eyes narrowing.

_"See you guys - Bulma, I wish you a healthy baby!"_

_"And you're feeling... ok?"_

_"Wait, are you guys together?!"_

_"What on Earth are you smiling about?"_

Her beautiful sapphires widened as it occured to her: Goku _knew._ It was the reason why he had come to her many months ago and acted so weird and awkward: he had come to see if she was expecting the baby already. He knew it all along that she was going to have a child with Vegeta, a boy named Trunks: that guy from the future must've told him when the two of them were too far away to be heard. But why had Goku chosen to keep it a secret to her? She was his _friend!_ After all these years, didn't she deserve his honesty? Didn't she have the right to know such things?

And then, she understood her friend's decision: he didn't want to alter the future. Telling her and Vegeta would've been taking the risk to act against Trunks' birth, and Goku would never act against anyone's life. Her eyes moved down to the baby she was holding. If she had known, would the situation be different? Would she have Trunks in her arms? She remembered saying that she wasn't going to be a mother any time soon, and how she had completely freaked out upon learning about her pregnancy.

_No, I wouldn't be_, she admitted. As horrible at it may sound, she would have done everything in her power to avoid that situation (and so would have Vegeta, for all she knew): she just didn't feel ready to be a mom three years ago, and neither did she when she first discovered that she was expecting Trunks. She wasn't mature enough back then. Oddly, her not-typical-but-still-enjoyable relationship with Vegeta had made her grow up a _lot._ Now she was an independent young mother, she was happy to have a son with Vegeta, and proud of the son she was holding in her loving and caring arms. She smiled and nodded to herself.

_Goku, for once, you've proven yourself able to know when to keep your mouth shut_.

**End of the chapter:** There you go ^^ hope you liked it, etc! ^^


	21. Careless

**DonSani:** Thank you very much for this comment :)

**arwens-light:** Yes, silly Goku XD a non-silly Goku is OOC! Lol. They kinda showed the reaction of others when it is revealed that guy from the future = Trunks though (well at least they did it with Vegeta) so there is not much room for me to invent... but you will see!

**Kuroda Asuka:** Lol yeah he did spoil it for the baby, but that's how it occurred in the anime so I kept it like that. I think this would be why he kept it a secret to both Bulma and Vegeta though, Goku (although he's naive and, when you think about it, not a good person to have as a father/husband/friend) is the perfect hero, and the perfect hero does not act against anyone's life whatsoever ^^

**Syve:** I don't know if his choice to allow Cell to be complete should be called arrogance. After all, he acted just like Goku when he refused to attack Frieza while he was powering up thus vulnerable (even though King Kai kept yelling him to finish Frieza while he could). I think it's a mixture of his Saiyan blood craving for a real challenge (because he was kicking incomplete Cell's ass BIG TIME), and his honour as a warrior. Vegeta _never_ holds back (not even against a punching machine hehe), he gives every opponent everything he's got, expects the other do to the same, and is very upset if it is not the case (think about how angry he was at Goku when he discovered that Goku didn't fight at his best during the fight that awoke Majin Buu, because Goku didn't transform into a SS3 for him, Vegeta felt that he was holding back, as though Goku didn't think Vegeta was worth his best, and _that_ is extremely insulting).

As for Bulma's parents, well, it's very easy to reply for her mother: the woman's damn OUT OF IT! XD (I'm sorry but to me, she isn't mentally sane, I mean... well, you know. She's funny and all but I think she should be in a hospital or something lol. She's senile!). Her father does know that they had sex one but as far as he knows, it happened only once, and since it was pretty much around the time she was dating Yamcha, he can't really know for sure who's the father. Bulma didn't tell them because she didn't want embarrassing questions and awkward situations in the house.

**miikodesu:** Lol, indeed he is! As for the Z fighters' reaction, I copied the scene from the actual one (as much as I remembered it), so you'll have to blame the DBZ writters ^^'

**Madam Midnight:** Thanks ^^

**Jezzi1996:** Lol! Well Vegeta too considered Bulma to be a witch (at least in my fanfic), it must be a common thing among Saiyans to mistake her for that. I don't think Goku is an idiot (although he's clearly not as smart as Vegeta), he's just very naive and sometimes too spontaneous for his own good XD Like how he showed that he knew about Trunks' name... Mr. Undercover, that's totally him!

**LadyDisdain89:** Thank you very much :D

**Chapter 21: Careless**

Bulma closed her eyes.

She remembered falling down. She remembered holding Trunks in her arms in hopes of protecting him from the crash.

She sighed.

She remembered someone flying very fast towards the falling jet, someone wearing a Saiyan armour.

_Vegeta_.

And then, she had been caught in strong arms, her body had been pressed against a man's chest. She had closed her eyes, too scared to look at the explosion. They'd landed meters away, far enough to be safe. She'd smiled, but the smile had disappeared when she had moved up her blue eyes and they had met with her savior's face. Instead of seeing Vegeta's dark eyes, her sapphires had met with their exact copies.

He'd let go of her, and she had watched him flying up in the sky, towards...

Towards _Vegeta._

Vegeta, who hadn't moved a damn finger to help her and their son.

"Bulma?"

She blinked, her father's voice having brought her back to reality.

"What are you doing down here so late?"  
"I'm..."

She rubbed her nose in an attempt to stop her headache.

"I'm working on something important," she replied.

He made a few steps towards her.

"What is it? Perhaps I could give you a hand."  
"I'm working on... it's those androids... they're much stronger than we expected, but we may have found a solution..."

She slightly showed him the plans that had been stolen from Gero's laboratory.

"Dr. Gero created a device to turn off his androids whenever he wanted to," she explained. "In case they were malfunctionning, or if they disobeyed him or misbehaved in any way. I'm trying to make another one, so we can stop them without fighting."  
"Mmmm..."

Dr. Brief looked at the plans carefully.

"This looks kinda complicated, why don't you just try to find the original instead of creating a copy? Wouldn't you be saving time?"  
"Because it was destroyed," she sighed. "The androids remembered that Gero had used it to put them to sleep, and smashed it as soon as they were reactivated so they could not be turned off again by him, or by anyone. But they did not know that we could get our hands on those plans and make another one!"

He gave her a warm smile.

"Well, Dr. Gero was a very clever scientist - but if someone can outsmart him, that person will surely be you, dear."

She grinned back at him.

"Thanks."

In his crib, Trunks made a little noise: she turned her head to see if he was awake. As she did so, he started to cry and she stood up to take him in her arms.

"Bulma..."

Her father's voice had changed: it sounded softer and even a little embarrassed.

"How come you never told your mother and I about... you know, about Trunks?"  
"Uh?"  
"Don't play dumb darling, it doesn't fit you at all - why didn't you tell us that he was Vegeta's son?"  
"Well, I did," she replied, looking away.  
"But why not _before?_ We thought he was Yamcha's-"

The blue-haired young woman laughed a little bit.

"Yamcha's child?" she said. "As much as I like Yamcha, Trunks doesn't look at him at _all_."  
"He looks nothing like Vegeta either. He looks more like you."  
"Well, yes, but when you look at him carefully..."

She lifted the baby a little, staring at him under the light. She smiled.

"When you look at him carefully, he's got most of Vegeta's features. The nose, the chin, the shape of his face... he even looks just like him when he's mad. You know, how he frowns and everything... that looks just like Vegeta. I'm sure he'll look a lot like his dad when he grows up, won't you my little boy?"

Bulma kissed the baby's cheek and tickled his belly, causing him to laugh. Her father, however, seemed more concerned than happy.

"What is it?" she asked.  
"Just... just how on _Earth_ did it happen?"

She blushed - that wasn't really a matter that she wanted to discuss with her father, after all.

"Dad, I mean... you're one of the most brilliant minds in the world, don't tell me you can't figure _that_ out."  
"Of course I can! It's just that I... well, I've never seen him taking care of Trunks, and I've never seen him acting nice with you either, so I thought... listen, darling, this might not be of my business, but... I'm worried. I want you to be happy, you know."

Bulma shook her head and gave him a comforting smile.

"I'm all right, dad - I promise."

He stared at her for a while.

"You know, this might not be any of my business, but, knowing how he is, I must ask... does he at least... _care?_"  
"He-"

Her voice stopped, searching for the truth.

_The most burning kiss she had ever received._

_His voice speaking the usual "I've got to go". God, how many times had he said that to her?_

_Her body pushed against the wall as their bodies became one for the very first time._

_"You know I am not one to be carried on a leash!"_

_"You smell good."_

_Her flying jet falling while he stayed motionless in the air._

Bulma bobbed down and closed her eyes. She used to know that he cared, she used to feel it although he would never say it. But tonight...

"I wish I knew," she whispered.

**End of the chapter:** There you go guys ^^ sorry for being a little late, I was working on the end of another fic! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter ;)


	22. A step forward

_Timeline note: This chapter occurs about 3-4 weeks after Cell's destruction (and Goku's death, and all that...), because I want to focus more on what we don't know than on what we've seen in the anime XD_

**Chapter 22: A step forward**

Vegeta sighed heavily and looked at the ceiling upon his head. What the heck was wrong with the woman now? Ever since Cell had been vanquished, she had been speaking very little to him, and she seemed to be actually avoiding him. What for? His pride prevented him from asking her directly - hell no, he'd rather _die_ than show it was worrying him a little - and yet... yet, he wondered what was the matter now. All right, her friend had died and refused to be brought back to life, but _still_, she couldn't _possibly_ care that much about Kakarot, could she? As hard as he tried to remember, Vegeta couldn't find out something that he had done or said that would piss Bulma off like that.

Sure, he'd never been particularly emotional whatsoever with her - he was a mighty warrior, not a poet after all! She had always seemed perfectly fine about it, being even able to understand how important his training was for him - a miracle coming from an Earthling woman. After three years, he found it hard to believe that she would decide that, finally, his behaviour was not right. Seriously, she knew better than to expect him to buy her flowers and crap like that, right?

_Right?!_

The prince shook his head and got on his feet, heading for the door: he needed to snap out of it, and a bit of training would surely do the trick, like usual. Moreover, if she was getting crazy, then that was _her_ problem. He was not a goddamn psychologist, he had no obligation at _all_ to deal with her complex feelings. As he reached the backyard, he heard Bulma's playful voice:

"Come on, darling - come to mummy!"

Frowning a little, Vegeta turned his head in direction of the sound: Bulma was kneeling on the green grass, her arms opened and a smile on her face. A few feet away from her, Trunks was walking, his uncertain and gauche steps taking him slowly towards his mother.

"That's right, just a little further now!" she said, encouraging him.

Vegeta stood there like a frozen statue, his arms crossed as he stared at his son taking the steps that were probably his firsts. Inconsciously, he nodded in appreciation. Soon, Trunks would be able to start his training, like any Saiyan warrior. The thought that Bulma might refuse to let him train their child did not even cross his mind: she wouldn't dare, of course!

Trunks fell on his butt just in front of his mother. She gave him a comforting smile as he pouted.

"Oh, my poor boy - that's ok," she said softly. "You did good."

As the blue-haired young woman was about to take her son in her arms, Vegeta's voice spoke without his consent in her back:

"Don't."

She turned upon hearing him, her face showing surprise, than anger.

"And why not, if I may ask Your Highness?!" she hissed back.

Damn, she was incredibly harsh these days. Well... more than usual, that is. Seriously, where was that coming from?

"Don't treat him like he's made of sugar," he replied. "Allow him to get back on his feet alone. That's how we Saiyans work."  
"Since when have you decided to take place in his education?" Bulma's voice snapped. "Beside, Trunks is _not_ a Saiyan, so just go back to training and mind your own business!"

As she spoke these words, she made a move to take her son in her arms, but, surprisingly, he stopped her with his chubby hand as he gave her a I-can-do-it-on-my-own-thank-you-very-much glare that made him look at _lot_ like his father, despite the fact that he had blue eyes.

Vegeta smirked.

"See? Even the little one wants to do it alone. This is how you raise a warrior."

With a deadly stare at Vegeta, Bulma lifted Trunks in her arms - although the baby clearly disagreed with that idea.

"Well, _thanks_ Vegeta, I'll try and remember your precious advices whenever I decide that I want Trunks to end up just like _you_ - probably when pigs fly, anyway."

And she walked away with their son, leaving something very rare behind her: a speechless Vegeta. His fingers clenched into tight, shaking fists.

_Damn woman!_

* * *

Many hours of intense training later, when Vegeta dropped on a couch in the living room - for he was way too tired to make it to his bedroom, which seemed suddenly so far away - he hadn't noticed that Bulma was already there, reading a magazine. The scientist didn't miss him, however, as she immediately got on her feet.

"Good night," she said, already leaving the place.

As she passed next to him, however, he caught her forearm. She frowned and glanced at him over her shoulder.

"You'd better get your hand off me, Vegeta," she said on a tone that was meant to be threatening.

Vegeta couldn't help but smirk.

"Or else?" he asked.  
"Or else nothing," she admitted.

After all, it wasn't as though she could scare him in any way. The smirk grew bigger, and he did not move.

_Asshole_, she thought.

_Sexy_, another voice said in a corner of her brain.

_Sexy asshole_, a third voice concluded.

Well, that still made him an asshole, didn't it?

"Vegeta, I wanna go sleep-"  
"And I wanna get some explanations. I don't remember doing anything to make you act like a real bitch so you'd better explain yourself right now, because this is starting to piss me off."  
"You don't _remember?_ Oh now that's good one!"

Miraculously, she managed to free her arm. She glared at him.

"Perhaps you thought I wouldn't care if you let Trunks and I die?" she hissed at him.

Still laying on the couch, he frowned.

"What on Earth are you talking ab-"  
"Don't play dumb!" she yelled with a surprisingly high voice. "The jet, _my_ jet crashed, does it ring a bell to you? And does it also ring a bell to you that you did not move a damn finger to help us? We were saved from the future Trunks, now how fucking ironic is that?!"

He blinked several times.

"Look, it's not like you died or were actually hurt-"  
"That's not the point! You did not even try to help!"  
"But he saved you anyway - wait a minute, you've been sulking me, avoiding me and bitching me for weeks only because of _that?_"  
"Yes," she said, "I've decided that I've had enough of you the day_ you _decided that it did not matter to you if your son and I were killed right in front of _you! _Good fucking night, Vegeta."

Outraged, she stormed outside the living room, leaving him speechless for the second time in a very short while. This did not last very long, however, as he stood up and followed her to her bedroom.

"Vegeta, just get out of here," she sighed.

He crossed her arms, with a I'm-not-moving-from-here-before-I-turn-into-stone light in his dark eyes. Staring at him right into the eyes, she crossed her arms in silence too. She was stubborn, all right: but Vegeta was even more stubborn that her.

Yes, it was possible for someone to be more stubborn than Bulma Brief.

After a long moment, she finally sighed and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Is this going to last for long?"  
"As long as it is necessary," he replied, taking a few steps towards her.  
"Look, I don't know about you, but I'd really like to sleep as much as Trunks allows me t-"

Her rant was suddenly cut by a fierce kiss. She lost grip again, dug her fingers into his dark hair... everything was spinning and melting around her, there was nothing else in the room than both of them, nothing else in the world than Vegeta's burning lips on hers. Bulma wanted to move back and break the kiss, she truly wanted it, but couldn't. He drove her so crazy, yet... yet he was hurting her so much. Yamcha had been right about at least one thing in his life. He pressed her body against the bed, his white teeth nibbling her earlobe: she moaned very lightly. There was no point in continuing this not-typical-yet-enjoyable relationship if it wasn't enjoyable anymore, right? She used to know, deep down inside, that he cared: he would not show it with words, but with actions. But his decision to leave her and Trunks to their fates as the jet was falling down had crushed down her illusions.

He did not care about her, nor did he care about Trunks. At this thought, a tear rolled down her cheek, and she found God-knows-where the willpower to push him away.

Vegeta blinked several times. He did not remember her refusing a kiss - or more - from him. That usually made her lost track of everything, just like it did for him. Was she back with the weakling, or what? She touched her cheek, and it took him a short moment to understand that she was wiping away a tear. She moved back, putting herself as far from him as her bed's size allowed it. Why the hell was she crying for now?!

Damn, women were insane.

"It's..."

She sighed and stared at him right into the eyes.

"It's one thing to know that you won't _say_ you care," she whispered with a shaking voice, "And another one to know that you truly don't care at _all_."

Damn, she was really insane. He didn't care? Yeah, right. _Sure._ If he didn't care, he would've gotten the hell away from this goddamn mudball that she called a planet long ago.

"So unless you have anything to say to me, get the hell out of my bedroom, Vegeta."  
"Marry me."

Damn. Again, his voice had spoken without his consent - something that seemed to occur rather often when she was around. Bulma's reaction was the most unexpected: she chuckled.

"D'you at least know what it means?" she asked, remembering how Goku had ended up proposing Chi-Chi without even knowing wat he was talking about.

Perhaps wedding was not a Saiyan concept, after all. Moreover, it seemed quite weird of him to propose her _now_. Firstly, because he was Vegeta, and secondly, because she was supposed to be mad at him.

"Of _course_ I know what it means," he replied, as though the question was very offensive. "What kind of idiot do you think I am, Kakarot?"

Bulma shook her head.

"I'm not sure you do. Marriage means _commitment_. And love. You know, these two things that you're lacking so much."

Vegeta shot her a deadly glare. Now, he was _really_ starting to feel offended.

"I'm not seeing anyone else and I'm still on your planet," he replied, as if it was explaining everything.

Bulma frowned. He seemed oddly serious about it. Wait, he couldn't_ really_ be-

"You... you mean you're not... joking?"

His eyes narrowed.

"When have I showed any disposition to act like a clown?"  
"You'd... you'd really stay here, always?"  
"I'm not planning on going anywhere, I've got to stay to train the little one. Besides, I'm not planning on... _you know..._ anyone else either... so I thought, well, you know," he finished pretty awkwardly.

Shocked, she sat more comfortably on her bed, staring at him with her eyes wide opened.

"You're serious about this, Vegeta?"

He shrugged one shoulder, and she moved closer - close enough to notice that his cheeks were turning red in the darkness of her bedroom.

"I think it'd be right," he simply said, staring at the floor. "If I'm to stay here anyway, we might as well... settle down a little, don't you think?"  
"Y-yes, sure, I'd love to, it's just... you... I thought_ you_... Vegeta-"

He turned his head to look at her, and the kiss they then shared wiped away each of Bulma's doubts about how Vegeta could care about her and their son.

**End of the chapter:** And there you go again! ;) I don't remember it said clearly that they're married, but it's highly implied and since everyone in discussions I've read seemed to agree that it occured somewhere in the seven years of peace after the Cell saga, well, I decided I'd do it :D hope you enjoyed this update!


	23. Running away

**UzuHuu: **You big meanie who disabled the private messages ;) lol just kidding. Thank you so much for your nice review :D and yeah, Vegeta felt uncomfortable to say the least XD he can even actually say how he feels, he's just like "well, you _know!_" hoping that she'll figure it out somehow XD

**Chapter 23: Running away**

Bulma sighed heavily and rubbed her nose.

"God, he gave me the slip _again_ - Trunks, come back here!"

It had been only one week since her son had taken his first steps, and yet he was already fast enough to run, agile enough to jump and put himself in danger (though Vegeta insisted that the kid was surely very solid, and could not be seriously hurt by his environment), and sly enough to do all that in his mother's back. She could hardly believe how quickly he had improved, but that did not impress Vegeta in the slightest: The Saiyans, as he had shortly explained to Bulma, were programmed to be powerful warriors as long as they could, which meant that they learned basic things quickly so they could start training as little kids, _and_ that they would later age more slowly, allowing them to remain in shape longer.

_Great for the Saiyan warriors_, Bulma had thought, _but awful for Saiyans mother. Especially when the mother isn't Saiyan herself._

"Geez, I've had it, where the hell did he go?" she asked, looking behind the couch. "How am I supposed to keep an eye on a child that is faster than me?"

Her hands on her hips, she stared at Vegeta. Not worried at all, he was calmly reading a book, sitting on an armchair.

"Did you see where he went?"

He simply shook his head, and she rolled her eyes.

"How the hell did your mother manage to keep up with _you_ as a baby?" she asked as a last resort.

Vegeta arched an eyebrow.

"Quite simple," he replied, "She did not."  
"So what, you just leave your children wander wherever they want?!"  
"Not quite, but if you think the king and the queen could not afford to get _servants _to take care of their child, you're badly mistaken."

Bulma blinked several times. All right, she had always figured that Saiyans were not very attached to their offsprings, since they had no remorse whatsoever in sending them on other planets if they were too "weak", and you could not expect a warrior people to be emotional and family-oriented in the first place, but still... it was very hard for her to imagine that a mother could care so little about her child that she would ask servants to take care of him for her. She loved Trunks so much, and she wouldn't let anyone else raise him.

"And what was_ she_ doing while servants were taking care of her son?"

He shrugged.

"Why do you ask? Besides, I never knew nor cared. People took care of me, I trained and then was taken by Frieza, end of the story. _And_," he added, quite obviously to change the topic, "If you're looking for the little one, I can feel him in his bedroom."

She remained speechless for a little while, then nodded.

"Thanks," she simply replied, heading for her son's room.

She reached the door just in time to catch him as he tried to run away from her.

"Ok, now that's enough young man," she said, putting as much authority in her voice as she could (and Kami knew she could put a _lot_). "I've had enough of it, and I don't care how much you scream and complain, you're going to take your bath right now."

Bulma pulled him higher to hold him against her chest, even though he struggled to get away from her.

"Come on, that'll be fun," she said as she entered the bathroom. "Water's fun, don't you remember?"

Trunks started to cry as water started to fill up the bath. She grimaced when he struggled harder and kicked her right in the ribs. Geez, he certainly did hit hard with those little feet and short legs.

"Hey, I told you, that's a _no_ - you _don't_ hit mom!" she ordered with a very severe glare.

Seriously, he was already stronger than her: there was _no way _she would allow him to use her as his punching bag. Maybe it was _ok_ for an Earthling mother with an Earthling son to tolerate that, but for an Earthling mother with a half-Saiyan son, that was definitely a no. Trunks calmed down and gave her his cutest, most sorry look. He tried to get away from her again, however, when she made a move to put him into the water: but Bulma, although she was still far from being a martial arts expert like her friends, had certainly gained experience in the art of preventing Trunks' escapes. Plus, if she managed to get some - just _some_ - authority on _Vegeta_, she would certainly not be impressed by her own child's anger and protestations.

On the other hand, with Vegeta as a father and herself as a mother, Trunks certainly had everything in his genes to be the most stubborn person in the entire Universe. Well, the Trunks from the future didn't look as hot-headed as them. That Trunks, however, had grown up without his father. Sure, Vegeta was not taking a big part in his life, but he was still there, sticking around. That surely had an influence over their son, after all. She just kept her fingers crossed so he wouldn't get that cocky, but if he could share his father's sense of honour... well, that'd be great. Plus, the other Trunks had grown up in the middle of a war... now, Earth was in peace. Surely he would end up being someone she would be proud of, but he would be different from his other self, she could already tell.

"Enough, be a big boy - you've got to take your bath, or else you'll smell like daddy."  
"Hey, I heard that!" Vegeta's rough and theatening voice said from the living room.

She smirked, and carefully poured water on her son's hair: though obviously unhappy, he was not screaming, crying, or trying to get away anymore.

"That's my boy," she said playfully, "You're certainly more reasonable than daddy."  
"I heard that too!"

Trunks stared at her with his blue eyes widened, moving his lips silently. She smiled, and bent over the bath a little to get the soap she used for him.

"Daaaa..."

Singing softly to calm him down in case he was about to start yelling again, she started to rub the soap lightly on his arm.

"See?" she said cheerfully. "Look, it's fun, it's all slippery and it smells good!"  
"Daaaaaa," Trunks repeated.

Bulma froze, and slightly frowned. No, it couldn't... it couldn't be? It couldn't be that he was actually trying...

"Daaa-daaaa!"

She held her breath, staring at her son in silence.

"Dyyy!"

Her eyes widened.

"Are you trying to say daddy?" she risked.  
"Daa... daddy!" he finally said, apparently very proud.

Bulma's jaw dropped.

"Daddy!" he repeated cheerfully.

Bulma was finally brought back to reality. She dropped the soap in the water and kissed her son's cheek.

"Good job, Trunks!"

In the lounge, Vegeta remained motionless and silencious as Bulma was congratulating Trunks once again. His mind, however, was running. He'd never done anything for the kid, other than not leaving his planet. He'd never woken up to see him when he was crying in the middle of the night, he'd never fed him, he'd never even held him in his arms or on his lap like Bulma always did. These were not things that Saiyan fathers did: they were truly not family-oriented, not to mention that Vegeta's case had been even worse. He hadn't even been allowed to grow up like the other kids or the other princes before him. Planet Vegeta had been destroyed, and only three Saiyans had survived (or so he had believed back then): Raditz, Vegeta himself, and his royal guard Nappa. Vegeta smirked at this thought: his royal guard, come on. He was almost five times more powerful than Nappa back then, it's not as if he truly needed his protection.

_Well, whatever._

Having lost his whole people at a young age and being forced to be Frieza's personnal warrior certainly did not help him getting a better father than the average Saiyan, to say the least. And yet, despite all that... the first word spoken by the little one was...

_Daddy?!_

"Hey, Vegeta, you heard that?" Bulma's voice asked from the bathroom.

Her only response was a brief grunt, and she rolled her eyes.

"Trunks, can you say grumpy?" she asked playfully.  
"Daddy!" Trunks replied innocently.

_Yeah, that's kind of a synonym I guess_.

* * *

The next day, Yamcha came to visit her, and he clearly had some troubles with a little something she had to announce.

"I beg your pardon, you are _what?_" her friend's voice asked in shock.  
"Don't yell, Trunks is still sleeping," she said.  
"You're telling me _that_, and you expect me to whisper? You can't be serious."  
"Of course I am," she said, putting a plate of pancakes on the table. "You take syrup or brown sugar?"  
"I - erm - syrup. Nevermind that! You're getting married to - how on Earth did he end up saying yes?"

Bulma opened her mouth, but he lifted a finger to cut her.

"Ah, I know, don't tell me. You didn't tell him what it was all about, right? Like Goku when he-"  
"What does that mean?! That I'd be desperate enough to step as low as_ trapping_ him?" she snapped, crossing her arms.  
"W-well no of course, I just mean... saying 'Yes, I'll marry you' is like saiying 'I love you' and I still don't think his mouth has been designer to speak these words."

She shot him a deadly glare and dropped on her chair. She was about to snap him a nasty reply when she heard fast footsteps: she streched her neck and saw...

"Hey, hey, over here, little explorer!" she said, quickly catching Trunks as he ran next to her. "How on Earth did you manage to get out your crib?"  
"Darn, he's pretty fast for his age," Yamcha noted.  
"Sure is."

Trunks simply laughed, and she directed her attention back on Yamcha.

"And for your information, _I_'m the one who said yes. Vegeta _proposed_ me."

Yamcha's jaw dropped even lower.

"Vegeta did that? You mean with the knee on the floor, the ring and everything?"  
"No, of course not. He just... well, he just proposed me, that's all."  
"Me?" Vegeta's voice said from the corridor, as he was walking towards the kitchen. "I'll _die_ before being forced to kneel before anyone ever again."  
"Figures," Yamcha mumbled, clearly thinking that Bulma needed a much more romantic proposal than Vegeta's.  
"Daddy!" Trunks said happily, pointing Vegeta with his chubby finger.  
"Yes, daddy," Vegeta replied with his usual rough voice. "You're starting to train today, kid."

Bulma blinked several times.

"Wait a - you're expecting to train him with you?"  
"Sure," he simply replied.  
"Isn't Trunks a little young to keep up with your kind of training, Vegeta?" Yamcha carefully asked.  
"Mind your own business, weakling. _I_ started to train younger than that. He's got a lot of energy, he's running pretty fast and already talking: there is no need to waste any more time. Let him go, Bulma."  
"No more of this 'woman' and 'servant' stuff, I see," Yamcha said quite mockingly. "That's what I call progress."  
"Didn't I just tell you to mind your own business?!"  
"Stop it. Both of you," Bulma said, glaring at them.

Her eyes softened as she looked at the prince.

"Vegeta, are you sure... I mean he's so little-"  
"Don't be overprotective, it's annoying - even he doesn't like it."

Vegeta crossed his arms, staring at his son sitting on Bulma's lap.

"Say, Trunks, you wanna train with me or waste your time with your mother?"  
"Daddy!" Trunks replied, clapping his hands together, as he was already trying to get away from his mother's arms.

Vegeta smirked.

"I win."  
"All right, all right," she replied, allowing Trunks to jump on the floor and run towards his father. "But you cheated, 'daddy' is all he can say for now. Can I at least-"  
"Watch the trainings?" he guessed.

She nodded.

"Hell no. Rule number one when you train a little one: you keep the mother as far as possible."

He walked away from them, followed by his young son.

"What do you mean, why would you -"

Her eyes blinked when she heard a noise coming from the backyard.

"HEY! DON'T USE THE GRAVITY CAPSULE JUST YET!"

**End of the chapter:** Hehe, that's what I call SAIYAN EDUCATION! XDD hope you guys enjoyed it ;)


	24. Leaving me for us

**Chapter 24: Leaving me for us**

Weeks slowly went by: every day, Vegeta would take Trunks and train him into the capsule. At first, Bulma was very reticent: as a mother, she feared that Vegeta's training would be too harsh on Trunks and that he would end up getting hurt. It took her a few days to realise that despite being a hard and exigent teacher (or so she had guessed, having been forbidden to look at the training sessions), Vegeta would not do anything to harm their child. Moreover, he was surely right about one thing: Trunks was tougher than he looked.

And...

Well, deep down inside, she did not want to interfere, because she knew it was the only moments where he would be alone with Trunks. Spending these hours in the gravity capsule to train him was Vegeta's way to take care of their son. Perhaps it was the way Saiyans fathers showed that they cared: they made sure their child would grow up strong and powerful.

Well, with Vegeta to show him how to fight, Trunks had good chances to kick ass _big time_ very quickly.

But, this very morning, these thoughts were away from Bulma's brilliant mind: she was getting ready for the most important day of her entire life.

Her wedding.

Actually, she was currently worrying about walking down the aisle as bald as Krillin.

"_Ow!_ Chi-Chi, you're pulling too hard!"  
"I'm sorry, Bulma," her maiden of honour replied with a sorry look on her face. "It should be all right now, I'm almost done."  
"Did people start to arrive already? We're going to be late if they don't start to-"  
"I told you _three_ times," Chi-Chi said patiently. "Everybody's already there."  
"Then _I_'m late!"

Bulma got on her feet at once, looking very worried.

"No you are not. Just sit down and relax."  
"I'm sorry. Wait, _Vegeta._ Where's Vegeta?"  
"Outside," Chi-Chi said as she tied up Bulma's blue hair in a very elegant manner. "I banned him from this room, they say it's bad luck if the groom-to-be sees the bride-to-be's dress before she walks down the aisle."  
"But is he _ready?_" she insisted. "Sure enough he went training earlier this morning, could you please-"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Yes, I'll go check on Vegeta."

She opened the door and left.

* * *

"Hey, you - woman - _weakling!_" Vegeta finally shouted to Yamcha as a last resort.

Yamcha glared at him and did not reply.

"Could you tell Kakarot's woman to come over here? I've got to ask her something."  
"Her name is Chi-Chi! Not 'Kakarot's woman'!" Yamcha's voice snapped back.  
"Well, then go and ask that Chi-_whatever_ if she can come ov-"

His sentence came to an abrupt end when he was smacked on the back of his head. Outraged, he turned, only to met with _that_ woman's angry glare.

"How dare you-"  
"I am nobody's 'woman', thank you very much!" she said with a threatening voice.  
"Damn woman!"

He took a deep breath.

"Well, while you're here, I might as well go on with my question. Just how long is it going to take now?!"  
"Bulma's hair's almost done, but I wouldn't worry about _that_ if I were you," she replied. "I'd be more worried about the fact that the wedding will start within five minutes and that you're still not ready."  
"What's wrong with your eyes? I'm ready."

Chi-Chi arched an eyebrow, and poked three or four times on Vegeta's white-armoured chest.

"I'm afraid you're not. You're expected to wear a smocking, not your fighting attire."

Vegeta crossed his arms and glared at her.

"This is Saiyan's formal clothing," he replied. "We are a warrior race."  
"Well, this does not fit an earthling wedding," she said, crossing her arms too.  
"Last time I checked, I was _not_ an Earthling."  
"We're not on _your_ planet!" the maiden of honour's voice hissed. "Would you do it the way it's supposed to be done for once?! At least for Bulma?"

He blinked.

"She likes that armour."  
"BUT NOT ON HER WEDDING DAY!"  
"Chi-Chi?" Bulma's voice asked.

They turned upon hearing her voice. She had half-opened the door and gotten her head out so she could see what was taking her friend so long.

"Just a moment, Bulma, everything's fine, I'm just putting some sense into the thick groom-to-be's head."

Bulma smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I heard that. Just let him keep these clothes," she said.  
"B-but..."  
"Vegeta's right," she continued softly. "He's not an Earthling. He's a Saiyan. He should be allowed to dress like one on his wedding day, just like I'm dressed like an Earthling."

Chi-Chi sighed as Vegeta smirked in her back.

"Oh, all right then," she said, clearly giving up as she got back into Bulma's bedroom. "Are you really going to let him do as he wish?" she asked as soon as the door closed.  
"Sure," she replied quietly. "He has the right to do so. Plus..."

A smirk curved her lips.

"Haven't you noticed how damn sexy he looks with that thing on?" Bulma asked, winking at her friend.

* * *

Vegeta's patience was really starting to wear off. He had no idea how weddings were supposed to be on Earth, but he had woken up this day being sure that it could not _possibly_ be longer than a Saiyan official wedding. Well... surprisingly, it could.

" - together, to celebrate the eternal union of two souls -"

Shit, that guy sure knew how to keep the suspense. When was he going to end this goddamn sentence? He was seriously beginning to consider grabbing this guy's legs and smashing him on the ground until he agreed to finally go on with this wedding, but Bulma would surely get mad at him for that.

"- to love her, cherish her -"

And, boy, it there was a day he didn't want her to be pissed, that day was surely today. Sure she was beautiful every day, but today she looked absolutely stunning: that amazing white dress and her smile both made her look like a true goddess.

"Vegeta?"

Her soft, hesitant voice brought him back to reality. Everybody - especially Bulma - was staring at him, clearly expecting him to say something. His face was blank: he had lost track of what was happening around him. Was this the moment where he was supposed to say yes?

Surely.

"Yes," he said.

Judging from the look on everybody's face and Bulma's smile, the timing had been right, and the end of the world had just been avoided. _Phew._ Seriously, why did he even had to say that? What kind of idiot proposed to a woman, to finally change his mind on the wedding day?

Well... Kakarot or the weakling, perhaps, but not him. He had promised Bulma he'd marry her, well he _would_ marry her.

"You may kiss the bride."

_I may what?!_

He was fine with kissing Bulma, of course... when they were _alone_. Having all her friends and family staring at him while he was kissing her was very embarrassing. What kind dumb tradition was that?

"Vegeta," she said again, taking his hand as she moved forward.

_In front of everyone - darn earthling tradition! What am I, a-_

His thought were cut by Bulma's kiss on his lips. His eyes widened in shock, then closed, and everything around them vanished. He caught her firmly, pressing her body against his own as he made the kiss deeper and more passionnate. He felt her fingers into his hair, her tongue playing with his so delightfully, and-

Someone cleared his throat, and they moved apart.

"I officially pronounce you husband and wife."

Vegeta smirked and, as everyone applauded, he brought his lips closer to her ear to ask her something in a whisper. She looked at him, smirked back, and nodded.

Five minutes later, neither the bride nor the groom could be found to cut the huge cake or take part in the rest of the party: they had apparently decided to celebrate their new wedding in their own way. Everyone agreed to let them do as they wished.

Finally, something that Vegeta liked about earthling weddings.

**End of the chapter:** There you go folks! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter as much as I liked writing it ;)


	25. The prince's legacy

**Chapter 25: The prince's legacy**

"All right, you're doing pretty good for now at this level. Now, let's see how you'll do..."

Vegeta's finger pressed the red button several times: Trunks gasped in surprise, struggled for a very short moment, and finally fell on the floor. Vegeta sneered.

"Trunks, come _on. _It's only twenty times Earth's gravity," he said severely, glancing at his son over his shoulder.

_Only _twenty times? And he said that as if it were nothing! Putting all his strength on the matter, the four-year-old boy managed to sit up. Panting, his hands clutched on his lap and his muscles refusing to help him any more than that, he lifted up his blue eyes and stared at his father. The prince hadn't reacted one bit at the sudden change of gravity in the capsule. Nothing had changed for him.

"St-top it," he said, struggling to speak with his chest feeling so compressed by the air.  
"No, I ain't stopping before you get on your feet," Vegeta replied stubbornly.

Of course. Why did Trunks even bother to ask? It was always the same thing, every time Vegeta made this harder to his son: he would not lower the gravity until Trunks managed to get on his feet properly. His face twisted in an awful grimace and his whole body trembled in an meaningless effort to stand up like his father wanted, but he did not move at all. Vegeta took a few steps forward.

"You can stand that, Trunks," the Saiyan said, crossing his arms like he did so often.  
"How... how much can you-?" he asked, wondering how much work he had to do to be as strong as his father.  
"Me? I can stand under five hundred times Earth's gravity."

He sighed.

"If I ever let you try that, don't tell your mother, she complains that it may break the engines," he carelessly finished.

Trunks' sapphire blue eyes widened.

"F-five hundred?!" he repeated. "_Really?_"

Vegeta nodded once, and Trunks smiled. His father was truly the strongest man in the Universe, the greatest warrior, like his mother always said!

"That's so cool!"

The Saiyan prince smirked, his arms still crossed.

"Well, then show me what you've got."

Trunks tried again - he had tried before, but he tried even harder, for he did not want to disappoint Vegeta. Now that he knew how strong his father was, he wanted to make him proud. Inch by inch, the boy managed to get on his feet. His face was all tense with the effort, his legs were shaking, and sweat was rolling down his cheeks and small muscles, _but_ he was finally on his feet, though he looked a bit unstable. Vegeta nodded in appreciation, although he did not seemed impressed whatsoever: he turned and headed for the control panel.

"No!"

He stopped at the sound of his son's voice.

"Don't stop it just yet, dad, I wanna see how long I can do it!"

A smirk creeped on Vegeta's lips, although Trunks could not see it. _That's the spirit._ Vegeta turned back and looked at him: his face was all focussed as he jumped a few times, landing quite awkwardly on the ground, but always on his feet.

"Here goooes!"

Trunks' entire body stretched: he was obviously trying to take flight. Quite amazingly, he managed to do so. It did not last long, however: after about five seconds, he dropped back quickly and noisily on the floor, falling on his butt.

"Ow..." he whimpered, rubbing his painful bottom.  
"Not bad," Vegeta commented, pressing the button to stop the gravity device. "Let's go eat now."  
"Yay! I was starving!"

He jumped towards the door and opened it, but turned to his father before going any further.

"Say, dad... can we play a game next time?" he asked hesitantly.

Vegeta froze for a moment.

"Perhaps later," he replied, passing next to him to walk towards the house.

Disappointed, for he knew that it meant "no", Trunks bobbed down.

* * *

Few hours later, he was laying on his bed. Bulma grinned at him, replaced the blankets comfortably, and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, darling," she said softly.  
"Good night, mom."

She caressed his lavender hair one last time and headed for the door.

"Mom..."

The scientist turned with a smile.

"Yes, Trunks?"  
"I wondered..."

The boy sat in his bed, slightly blushing as he stared at the blankets in silence for a while. Then, his cobalt eyes lifted up to meet with their twins, and he asked shyly:

"How come dad never wants to play with me? All we ever do is train, and training is _fun_, but I'd like to do something else with him sometimes," he finished, sounding both embarrassed and sad.

Bulma's heart sank and she bit her bottom lip. _Damn you, Vegeta_.

"Well, your father..."

She sighed, and closed the door. Vegeta's ears were incredibly sharp - though, thanks Kami, not as much as Piccolo's - and she figured he wouldn't be too happy if he heard what she was about to explain to Trunks.

"Your father's different," she continued as she sat on the edge of her child's bed. "He's not from this planet-"  
"I know," Trunks interrupted her, almost impatiently. "He told me, we're Saiyans! But Goten and Gohan's father was a Saiyan too, and Gohan says he was much nicer than dad!"

Bulma frowned.

"Gohan said that?"

Trunks nodded.

_Note to self: kick Gohan's butt ASAP_.

"You can't compare," she simply said. "Goku grew up on Earth. Did Vegeta told you anything more than the fact that he's a Saiyan?"

The boy shook his head.

"No, he just told me that I was so much stronger than the others because he's a Saiyan. He said I could kick Yamcha's butt!"

Bulma couldn't help but smile faintly: Vegeta was probably right on that.

"Well, Vegeta isn't just _any_ Saiyan," she said. "He's the prince of all Saiyans."

Trunks' eyes widened.

"Wow, that's just so _cool!_ Can we go there and be like, the royal family and all that? Dad can be the king now, you get to be the queen and I could be the new prince! Maybe I can get Goten to be my servant-"

Bulma laughed.

"No, you see..."

She sighed. She would've liked much better if Trunks learned this by Vegeta himself, but she doubted he'd ever open up that much in front of his son, and she wanted Trunks to understand why his father was so cold, even with him.

"Long ago, the Saiyans were a race of proud and powerful warriors."  
"Yeah, dad told me, we kick ass big time!"

His eyes widened and he covered his mouth as Bulma glared at him for using such a bad word.

"Sorry," he mumbled behind his fingers.  
"Well, nevermind for this time. They worked for a man... no, he wasn't really a _man_... they worked for someone called Frieza. Frieza actually feared the Saiyans' power so much that one day, he decided to get rid of them by destroying their planet. Vegeta was still very young, yet so strong that Frieza did not kill him like the rest of his people. But you see... with his family gone and no one but Frieza to take care of him, your father had a very tough life. It's not that he does not love you: it's just... well, he doesn't really know how to show it."

She smiled.

"But he cares about both of us," she said. "I can tell. And if you listen to your heart, you'll be able to tell it too."  
"Do you think he's proud of me?" Trunks asked hesitantly.

Bulma gave him a tight hug.

"I'm sure he is, Trunks," she said, giving him a comforting smile. "Now, off to bed, young prince!"

Trunks smiled back at her and laid again comfortably. She rearranged the blankets one last time, and left the room. She gasped in surprise when she almost bumped into her husband.

"God, Vegeta, you scared me-"

He stared at her in silence for a short while, then walked away.

"Thanks for explaining the little one," he simply said over his shoulder.

**End of the chapter:** There you go ;) hehe, Vegeta was eavedropping on his wife and son, bad Vegeta! BAD! XD


	26. 18's malfunction

**Chapter 26: 18's malfunction**

The next day, while Vegeta and Trunks were training - like usual - Bulma was comfortable laying on a couch, reading a magazine, when she was disturbed by someone knocking softly on the main door. Frowing a little - she wasn't expecting anyone, except maybe Yamcha, who did not bother knocking on the door - she stood up and headed for the entrance. Her eyes widened when she saw the beautiful blonde that had knocked.

Android 18. What was she doing here? All right, the androids had proven that they weren't as evil as they had initially though, and she had even married Krillin not long ago... but, still, she did not seem very sociable, and Bulma had never actually talked to her. What would she be doing here?

"18? I-I mean, if that's still your name..."  
"Still is," the android replied with her slow voice. "Look, I won't waste my time or yours, I need your help."  
"My help?" the blue-haired woman repeated. "What for?"

Without any more explicit invitation, 18 stepped inside the room. She sighed.

"Well, not necessary _your_ help, but I need someone qualified and Krillin says you're the only one I can ask."  
"Erm... all right, if I can help in any way, I'll be glad to do so. What's wrong?"  
"I'm sick."

Bulma blinked several times. _Sick?_ How on Earth could an android be sick?

"You're... sick?"

Again, the fair-haired android sighed.

"Not really. _Krillin_ says I'm sick - I reckon _malfunctionning_ would be more appropriate."  
"Oh. Well, then I guess I can help, if you come downstairs with me."

Once they reached the lab, 18 sat on the edge of a table while Bulma turned the computers on.

"So, what makes you think you're malfunctionning?" she asked.  
"I'm feeling very odd. Weaker than usual, even to the point of getting dizzy sometimes. I guess it must be the power supply. Perhaps it's running low."

Bulma frowned. She had never looked at 18 or 17, but she knew for a fact that 16 had a limiteless power supply, so why wouldn't they? On the other hand, 19 and Dr. Gero himself as an android needed to absorb energy in order to use it, so perhaps 18 was different, too.

"I'll check that first, if you'd just lay there for a minute or two..."

The android obeyed in silence, allowing Bulma's machines to scan her. The young scientist stared at her screen, frowning more at each and every new information that appeared.

"That's weird... _very_ weird..." she whispered for herself.  
"What is?"

Bulma quickly turned to look at her.

"Can you feel?" she asked out of the blue.

18's pale blue eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sounding a bit irritated.  
"I mean, do you ever get angry or scared? Can you feel pain, can you feel the warmth of a hand on your skin?"  
"Of course," 18 replied, sounding and looking very offended by these questions.  
"Then..."

Bulma's eyes wandered back on her screen.

"How come you're... if you were..."

Her sapphire eyes widened.

"I get it! Oh my God, I'm a _genius!_ You are not an android, that's as simple as that!"  
"What the hell are you talking about?! Of course I am an android!"  
"No you're not! My father and I repaired 16 few years ago, and he was an android, he wasl thoroughtly mechanical and artificial. There was not a single biological cell on his body. You, however... and probably 17 as well... you have _human_ cells."

She nodded for herself, smiling ear to ear.

"This explains why you call him your brother, and why Cell could absorb both of you."  
"That is ridiculous. If I am not an android, what on Earth am I?"  
"I'd say you're a cyborg. Yes, that makes much more sense now."

18 raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't we skip to the part where you explain that to me?"  
"A cyborg," Bulma said, "Is a human being whose body has been enhanced by technology. An android is an artificial being like 16, it's a machine, just like... like... my oven! An android does not fear nor does he feel pain, whereas you..."

Bulma smiled.

"You said it yourself, you feel pain, anger, sadness, happiness... you could even fall in love with Krillin. _That_ is the ultimate human feeling."  
"But I am _not_ human," she objected. "I do not age, my bones do not break, I don't need to eat, drink or even sleep. Humans have these needs, even the toughest ones."  
"Dr. Gero modified you," the scientist explained. "If I hack into his old files, I might be able to find out how much he changed your body, but we know for a fact that he modified or replaced your bones, and gave you a power supply, probably limitless. He must've tried to erase your human identity, as well, which is why you don't remember your name or the life you had before, but you were able to remember that 17 used to be your twin."

She taped on her lips a few times, lost in her thoughts.

"That must be why you guys attacked Gero when he activated you... I reckon he must've kidnapped your or tricked you in any way, and your hatred for that man remained... yes, that makes sense..."

18 sighed, obviously bored.

"All right, all right, this is all _very_ interesting, but can you already tell me what's wrong with me?"  
"Nothing's wrong with you," Bulma quickly replied.  
"This cannot be true. You must've made a mistake."  
"I do _not_ make mistakes," Bulma replied, glaring at her. "Look."

She pressed a button, and a scan from 18's body appeared on the huge screen.

"Here," Bulma said, moving her finger around the stomach. "Can you see?"  
"No," she replied, frowning and shaking her head.  
"Look more closely."

18 moved closer a little, but shook her head again.

"That, here. God, you really don't see it?"

When 18 glared at her in a pretty threatening way, Bulma decided to end the suspens:

"It's a baby. You're _pregnant_, not sick nor malfunctionning."

She blinked several times, staring at the young scientist.

"How in the world did that happen?"  
"I'm really not going to explain this to you," Bulma replied, chuckling awkwardly.

The blonde glared again.

"Sorry. I mean... I guess Dr. Gero did not thing about that, but you must still be biological enough to have kept your fertility. It's... odd, but not unlogical."  
"But how's _that_ going to live inside me?" she insisted.  
"I'll make further research, but I suppose the baby will live on your power supply, just like you do."

Upstairs, the door opened.

"MOM, _MOM!_ I flew under 20 times Earth's gravity, I did it, it was so coo-"

Trunks' voice interrupted at once when he noticed that his mother was not around.

"Mom?!"  
"Yes, Trunks, I'll be there in just a moment!"  
"Hey," Vegeta's voice said before she had finished speaking. "Where's the lunch?"  
"Yeah, I'm hungry too! Mom, did you-"  
"I said just a moment!"

Vegeta grunted and she heard him dropping on a chair: Trunks did exactly the same right after him. Saiyans were sure irritable when you stood between them and their food.

* * *

That night, Bulma woke up when someone dropped on the bed next to her. It was Vegeta, of course. Her eyes half-opened, she merely grunted for being woken up in the middle of the night like that, and turned around to get closer. He put his arm firmly around her, like he used to do, and Bulma was about to fall to sleep again - since Vegeta never spoke in those moments - but his voice woke her up again:

"About what you said to Trunks yesterday..."  
"Mmyeah, what about it?" she mumbled, her eyes still closed.  
"Why did you do it?" he asked.  
"Because you wouldn't."  
"But how did it get to this anyway?!"

She sighed, and opened her eyes.

"You know that Trunks would like to spend time with you outside the training, right?"

Vegeta merely shrugged, and did not speak.

"Well, Saiyans might not care about that, but he does. That made him sad, and I had to explain him, I didn't want to let him like that. If you think I did it wrong, then you can go and explain it yourself."  
"I didn't say you did it _wrong_," he objected. "I just _wondered_."

Bulma smirked.

"So I did it right?" she asked, glancing up at him just in time to catch a glimpse of the smirk that was curving his own lips.  
"You could say it like that."  
"You won't ever admit that I'm right, uh?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Again, he said nothing and she looked at him in the darkness of the room.

"How come you never told him yourself?"  
"Because you think I want to explain my son that our people was destroyed because of a crazy son of a bitch who craved for power and feared for his life? Hell no."  
"But that you were the prince?" she asked with a smile. "I'm amazed you didn't tell him yourself."

Vegeta glared at her.

"Because it would've brought questions about the fact that we are not on my planet, thus forcing me to explain about Frieza. He killed my people, destroyed my planet and enslaved me, I'm not so keen on talking about him."  
"You never told me about that. I mean, how it was for you all these years you were under his orders."  
"I told you, I'm not so keen on talking about Frieza," he repeared coldly. "Not even to you."

_Especially to you_, his mind corrected. The silence fell on them again, this time for good: Bulma quickly fell asleep again in his arms. Vegeta, however, remained wide awake for hours, staring at the ceiling upon their heads.

_You're the last person I'd ever tell about these days where I had to bow and obey like a well-trained dog, Bulma_.

**End of the chapter**: There you go :D I hope you enjoyed it!!! (God, I'm amazed at myself, with 26 chapters it's officially my longest so far, and still many to go :D)


	27. Slippery when wet

**Chapter 27: Slippery when wet**

"Focus."

Trunks closed his eyes and did his best to do as his father had ordered, but it was quite hard for him to just sit there, motionless.

"And then?" he asked rather impatiently.  
"And then you focus," Vegeta said.  
"But, dad, you've just told me-"  
"Yes, I just did, and you're still not focused at all. As long as you're not, we're not going any further."

What? How did he knew? Trunks opened an eye: his father's were both closed.

"Close that damn eye of yours, Trunks," the prince immediately ordered coldly.

Gasping in surprise, Trunks obeyed. He slowly breathed in and out, trying very hard to be as calm and focused as his dad was.

"All right, now search. Try to see the people around without your eyes. Feel their energy."

_See without my eyes?_ The boy frowned, but tried anyway. After a short moment, he felt something that was both very powerful and familiar right in front of him.

"I've got you, dad."  
"That's easy. Now focus harder, try to sense your mother."

Vegeta himself could sense her very easily, that tiny, shinning star in a dark sky. Bulma's low energy. She was currently in the lounge, next to that weakling's energy, much to Vegeta's irritation. However, it would probably be tougher for Trunks to spot her.

"I... I can't," he said hesitantly.  
"That's harder," Vegeta admitted, "Her energy is fainter, because she is further than me and much weaker. But it's there."  
"I..."

All Trunks could sense was his father's energy: it was so great and powerful that it overshadowed all the others. Then, his mind caught one. Then, another one, weaker, followed by two others even weaker.

"I get... I get four signals in the house," the boy said.  
"Focus on your mother. Tell me where she is."  
"How can I do that?" the half-Saiyan asked.  
"Think about her, and try to feel what these energies are emitting. Sometimes they trigger memories. You know your mother, you should be able to recognise her energy."  
"I can't," Trunks said again. "How long did it take you to learn that, dad?"  
"Not long," Vegeta replied, sounding a bit annoyed by his son's lack of concentration. "I was an adult though."  
"Why didn't you learn it as a child like me?"

Vegeta sighed.

"Because I used to have a device that provided me with all the information that I needed."  
"You don't have it anymore?"  
"No."  
"You couldn't ask mom to make a copy, so we wouldn't need to do that?"

The prince sighed.

"I'm _not_ gonna wear one of these ever again, and neither will you."  
"Why?" the boy insisted. "Is this about that bad guy mom told me about? The one you worked for?"

Irritated, Vegeta finally opened his dark eyes.

"I did not _work_ for Frieza," he objected, "I was taken by his men against my will when I was about your age after my planet's destruction, and I'd rather not to talk about it any longer."

There was a short, awkward silence.

"And _yes_, I had this scouter when I was under his orders. Now, stop changing the topic and do as I said."

Trunks nodded frenetically, and concentrated again on the energies inside his house.

* * *

The water was running in the shower. Bulma could hear it very clearly. Yet... she softly pushed the door to the bathroom, a faint smirk curving her lips. Vegeta was turning his back on the door under the shower, unaware that his wife had just stepped inside. She carefully closed the door behind her, though it did not matter that much: Trunks was playing with her parents in the backyard.

In other words... they were completely free to do whatever pleased them.

The smirk still wandering on her lips, she slowly started to unbutton her shirt.

* * *

_Damn kid_.

Trunks could really be an annoying brat sometimes. Vegeta was rubbing his skin with the soap more harshly than necessary: he was angry, although he wasn't sure if he was angrier at Trunks than at Bulma, or vice versa. At first, he had been quite please that she had shortly explained his life to their child: that spared him from having to doing so himself. But, now that he was thinking about it again, he wasn't sure he was so pleased. He didn't want Trunks to ask questions that would trigger bad memories like he did earlier.

_Such annoying curiosity - that must be his mother's genes again_.

Plus, that silence and that look on Trunks' face when he had made it clear he didn't want to talk about his past ever again... was it truly what he thought it was? He sneered. _That_ was truly the last thing he wanted from anyone, especially from his son.

His body froze when he felt arms around his body. He did not need to turn around to know that it was Bulma: for odd reasons best known to herself, she had decided to step inside his shower, and she had somehow managed to do so without him noticing it. He sneered again and moved away from her. He was really not in the mood. Moreover, he had just decided that she was the one to blame for Trunks' attitude and questions.

"Don't touch me," he grunted, still turning his back on her.

Even like that, though, he could see her arching an eyebrow. Well, he did not actually see it, of course, but he had seen her doing that so many times that he just_ knew_.

"What for?" she asked, allowing her hand to wander on his wet shoulder.

He shrugged Bulma's fingers away.

"Because I'm angry at you, so get out and stay away," he replied harshly.  
"Where's that grumpy attitude of yours coming from?!"  
"Where's my attitude coming from?!" he repeated angrily.

He hastily turned around, glaring at his wife with his dark eyes.

"That's your fault, that's all!"

She blinked several times, then flushed: she, too, was starting to get mad. She wasn't about to let him yell at her without fighting back, blaming her for Kami-knows-what, _was she?_

Certainly not.

"What is?!"  
"Well-"

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away, staring at the hot water falling on their bodies.

"The boy pities me and that's _your_ fault! Because you told him about Frieza!"

She blinked. Trunks, feeling pity for his father? Not even remotely!

"What do you mean, he pities you?! He does _not!_" her voice snapped back. "The last thing Trunks would do is pity you, tis is absolutely _ridiculous._ You have no idea just how much he admires you! He does not feel pity whatsoever-"  
"Lie! You didn't see that look on his face!"  
"If anything, he feels compassion, bu-"  
"Same thing, really!"

The prince turned his back on Bulma yet again.

"Compassion and pity, that's the same bullshit. I don't want it, nor do I _need_ it anyway!"

She sighed. Damn, she loved him, but he really had an ego twice as big as himself... to say the least.

"Vegeta..."

Bulma took one step towards him.

"Listen to me."

The only answer she received was a mere grunt - she decided that she'd take it as a "yes".

With Vegeta, she had learned to figure a lot out of a simple grunt or glare.

"Vegeta," she said again, resting her chin on his shoulder.

He seemed rather unpleased, but did not move or shove her away this time.

"You're the strongest warrior, the greatest person in the entire Universe. You're simply... the best."  
"Flattering me won't work," he grunted at her.

She smiled, and her hand slowly ran down his skin.

"I meant, for _Trunks_," she corrected, staring at him.

Somehow, Vegeta's face got softer, though he did not speak or react any more than that.

"You really shouldn't be worrying about futile things like that, Vegeta," she concluded, now facing him.

Her fingers pushed down his neck lightly, slightly lowering his head and allowing Bulma to kiss him. Vegeta's hands fell on her hips, but, instead of bringing her closer, he forced her to move back.

"You know," he said, obviously doing his best to sound angry, "I'm still quite pissed."

Bulma smirked: that was so _typical_. She knew him quite well now - probably more than he thought, and perhaps more than he wanted - and she could see in his eyes that he was struggling not to kiss her back. By experience, she knew that she would've given up if the roles had been inverted - he could angry her out of her damn mind, but he could also make her forget everything with a passionnate kiss and a pair of dark, lusting eyes. _He_, on the other hand, obviously thought he was way too great to forget about his anger just because she'd kissed him. He thought he had control over the fire she knew she had just lighted.

Saiyans were delusional.

The scientist dug her fingers into his hair and kissed him again, though brieftly.

"You're deaf," he started when her lips reached the sensitive part behind his ear.  
"Not quite," she whispered, causing him to shiver even under the burning water.  
"I told you I was still mad-"

Nevertheless, he dug his fingers into her blue hair as her mouth started to kiss and lick each scar that marked his chest, and he smirked.

"You really have a thing with those."

With a soft noise that almost sounded like a moan, she lifted her amazing blue eyes and they met with the prince's. This... was where the self control was kicked out of the shower.

Bulma gasped in surprise when he seized her: her lips were immediately caught in a burning, breath-taking kiss, and her naked body pressed against Vegeta's. He lifted her, and she whimpered lightly in their ardent kiss when her back met with the white wall. The hot water made both the wall and their skin slippery, yet she felt safe, for Vegeta was holding her very tightly, and it would take far more than a wet ceramic wall to force him to drop her.

She leaned her forehead against Vegeta's and stared at him right into the eyes.

"I love you," she whispered.

Their lips and bodies united, and Bulma's heart smiled.

She knew it was Vegeta's "I love you too".

**End of the chapter:** Hehe, sorry 'bout the title... just couldn't resist, you know XD I hope you liked this new chapter, guys! Again, your feedbacks are really really really really really really really (3 hours later) REALLY appreciated :D


	28. Like father, like son

**Chapter 28: Like father, like son**

Bulma laughed very lightly and threw her head back on the pillow: Vegeta's lips kissed the newly exposed skin. She moaned and moved her head even further to give her husband more skin to touch with his soft mouth. She whimpered when his teeth brushed a bit harder than she expected on her earlobe, and she felt the Saiyan smirking on her sensitive skin. His hands ran over her body, causing her to shiver and arch her back, and Vegeta's lips were slowly, delightfully starting to make their way down to Bulma's inviting breast, when...

The door opened abruptly.

Bulma gasped, and covered herself with the blankets in the blink of an eye.

"Moooom, where's dad?"

Vegeta's head got out the blankets: he glared at his wife for a short while, then stared at his son with more intensity.

"Woah, what did I do?" the eight-year-old boy asked innocently.

Vegeta's dark eyes got harder. Would it have been _anyone_ else than Trunks, and that included Bulma's stupid parents, the intruder would've been blasted to pieces by now.

No kidding.

"Didn't your mother tell you three hundred times already that you must not step in here without knocking _first?_" the prince snapped rather nastily.

Seriously, did she at least _try_ to have any sort of authority over that child? He'd obviously had to take care of discipline by himself right now, even though it was not in his obligations as a father at _all_.

Well... from a Saiyan's perspective, of course.

"I knocked," the lavender-haired boy said.  
"You did not!"  
"Yes I did," he insisted.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No you didn't!"  
"Yes!"  
"_No!_"  
"YES!" he yelled, hands clenching into tight, frustrated fists.  
"NO!"

Bulma sighed heavily.

"All right, all right, that's _enough_. What did you need, Trunks?"

Trunks glared at his father, then looked at his mother more kindly.

"Dad and I are supposed to be training right now."

Vegeta blinked several times. _What the fuck?_ Three times out of four, he almost had to _pull _Trunks out of his bed so he would agree to get up and train. But, this very morning where he'd been hoping to spend some, erm - let's say _quality time_ - with Bulma, he had to bump into the bedroom like that?! Ridiculous. _That brat! I'm sure he did it on purpose for all these mornings I didn't let him sleep long enough!_

"Right. Go in the capsule, I'll get there in a minute."

Trunks stared at him, and did not move. Vegeta sighed.

"What, again?!"  
"You're never late for training, what were you doing?" he asked naively, scratching his head.

Vegeta's eyes widened and his cheeks turned to deep red. _Brat!_

"I - erm - we - sleeping. Of course."  
"Sleeping?? But-"  
"I'm in my _bed_, of course I was sleeping!"  
"But-"  
"JUST GET DOWN IN THE GODDAMN CAPSULE! _NOW!_" Vegeta shouted, losing his last fragment of patience.

Gasping at his father's outburst, Trunks disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Bulma chuckled.

"What's so funny?!" Vegeta asked, his cheeks still a bright shade of red.  
"I'm in my bed, of course I was sleeping!" she said, imitating her husband's rough and irritated voice.  
"Well, what was I supposed to say?"

He got on his feet and reached for his training clothes.

"I don't know, truth maybe?" she suggested.

Vegeta glared at her over his shoulder. She couldn't _possibly_ be expecting that from him! Didn't she know her better than this?

"_Me_, explaining _that_ to him? No fucking way. That one's on you."

The blue-haired woman rolled her eyes, and the Saiyan left the bedroom.

* * *

"Are we raising the gravity again today dad?" Trunks asked before Vegeta could even put one foot into the capsule. "You said we would, because I was so great under 120 times yesterday!"

_Damn, what's up with him this morning?_ Trunks was usually quite lazy: it was almost impossible to get him to train before nine o'clock, and today, at only...

Vegeta's eyes widened when he saw the clock: it was almost ten o'clock already! No wonder Trunks was so full of energy and ready to go. _I'm_ _really getting too soft - I've got to work on that_.

"Of course," he replied, heading for the controls.

Still, he glared at Trunks a little.

"And I swear, if you ever enter our bedroom again without knocking first, I might blast you."  
"But why?"  
"Because it's like that!"  
"But, if you're only _sleeping_, what's the matter? You always do it to me."

Vegeta flushed yet again.

"Because - well - your mother doesn't want anyone to mess with her sleep. Women are like that. It's genetic, they can't help it."  
"Mom didn't look remotely as bothered as you did-"  
"Enough!"

To make sure Trunks would remain silent for more than three seconds, he pressed the red button and smirked. 150 times Earth's gravity should be enough to keep the kid's mouth shut, at least for a while.

"Wooooh!"

Trunks fell loudly on his knees and hands, his whole body shaking in an effort to at least maintain this position and not end up laying on the floor. He knew that the lower he fell, the harder it was to get on his feet after. Vegeta stared at his son as he tried to stand up, only to fall again on the floor, over and over again. Ok, maybe he was being a bit hard, going from 120 times to 150 times Earth's gravity, but that would teach the brat a lesson about asking annoying questions.

"All-right," Trunks said with difficulty when he was finally on his feet. "Not... such... a big... deal..."

The prince looked at the half-Saiyan struggling to remain straight as he took one slow, penible step after another. He smirked.

"So, how does it feel?" he asked.  
"Kinda... tough..."

Vegeta's smirk grew bigger.

"I thought this was 'no big deal'?"

Trunks took a deep breath.

"On second thought, it's... rather hard."

He stopped moving at once.

"But I can do it," he simply said.

Vegeta's lips curved into a real, amused smile: in a flash of golden light, he turned into a Super Saiyan and started to train on his own.

"Perhaps you should rest," he finally said, glancing at him over his shoulder. "That's a man training level, and you're clearly still a child."  
"Goten... called me last night... gonna be in the Tournament... so I... want too!"

Vegeta smirked.

"So, what are you doing to do about it?"  
"Guess I'll just..." he breathed in and stopped talking. "Go Super."

His green eyes widened in shock and his mouth shut at once: Trunks was emitting a rather familiar golden light. His lavender hair turned white-blond, and his sapphire eyes turned to emerald. Vegeta blinked several times. That was impossible, Trunks was only eight years old! And yet... _yet,_ _he's really... doing it!_

"Yay!" Trunks said.

The gravity did not affect him whatsoever now: he jumped, bounced and flew around like nothing.

"Did... I miss something?"

Vegeta quickly recomposed his cold mask and crossed his arms in frustration.

"I'll be damned - since when the powers of the legendary Super Saiyan has been turned into a mere child's play?!!"

Trunks simply laughed, and kept flipping and flying around.

"Come here, son."

Trunks stopped goofing around at once and obeyed.

"So, can Kakarot's youngest son turn into a Super Saiyan too?"

Trunks nodded.

"Sure."  
"Yes, _naturally_, it's a Super Saiyan bargain sale," he sneered.

Unbelievable. He, Prince Vegeta, the very symbol of the Saiyan's elite fighters, had worked and trained terribly hard during his whole life to achieve the level of a Super Saiyan, only to be outclassed by that low-life warrior Kakarot who transformed without even knowing what the hell a Super Saiyan was, his two goddamn brats and even his own son who reached that level, apparently without even training for it or even _trying_. Sure, Trunks had been training hard under his father's supervision, but not for that, not so soon. But that second idiot's spawn, Grotest or whatever his ridiculous name was! He didn't even have a Saiyan around to train him, how did he manage to reach that level? Not with his brother's help, that was for sure. Trunks said he was a bookworm now.

An insult, a disgrace to the whole Saiyan race.

"Uh?"

His father's eyes narrowed even more, so much that they were only too dark slits staring at him rather threateningly.

"Try to hit me," he ordered.  
"Why would I do that, dad? You know I'm not strong enough."  
"You wanna play like that? _Fine. _If you can lay one punch to my face, I'll take you to the park for an hour."  
"Woooow," he said, his blue eyes widening. "You mean it? OK!"  
"Let's see what you can do."

He avoided Trunks' first punch by half an inch: nevertheless, his son's fists flew over and over again as he attacked relentlessly. And, finally, Vegeta felt something most unexpected: a punch on his cheek. Almost unconsciously, he punched back, throwing Trunks few feet backward. His eyes widened: to be perfectly honest, he hadn't exactly planned on hitting him. That was just his old reflexes coming back at the surface.

"You didn't say you'd hit back, dad," he complained, holding his nose.  
"Well I didn't say I wouldn't hit you now, did I?" he replied coldly, crossing his arms again.  
"N-no," the child admitted, "but-"  
"Stop crying, we're going to the park _now_."  
"Yayy!"  
"But, before, I want to know something. Who's the strongest? You, or that clown's spawn?"

Trunks scratched his head.

"I guess that'd be me. I'm a bit stronger than Goten, because I'm older."

_A bit stronger, uh? Well, we'll work on that_. He nodded for himself: if anything, he would at least manage to kick Kakarot's ass through their respective sons.

**End of the chapter:** I tried to make it as close to the original episod as possible :D I hope you liked it! Next chapter, as you may guess: the park! XD


	29. Cotton candy

**Chapter 29: Cotton candy**

Bulma was surprised when she hear the door opening: Trunks ran inside the house, followed by a much calmer Vegeta.

"Training's already over?"  
"Postponed," Vegeta simply replied, heading for their bedroom.

Curious, she followed him.

"The training, postponed? Who the hell are you and what have you done to my husband, sexy stranger?" she asked playfully.

Vegeta scowled, but did not reply as he searched for clothes. She dropped on the bed, staring at him while he picked a brown shirt.

"No, seriously, what's the big idea?"  
"We're going to the park."

Bulma's jaw dropped.

"You... you finally decided to take him there today? Geez, thanks, he's been asking you for _ages_-"  
"Not quite," the prince said on a bored tone.  
"But..."

The blue-haired woman suddenly noticed something on Vegeta's cheek: it was a very subtle bruise that would've gone unoticed for many people, but not for her. Her eyes were very sharp, especially when it came to Vegeta.

"What's that on your cheek?"  
"A punch," he replied.  
"Trunks punched you?"

Vegeta scowled again.

"We were _training_, not playing dolls," he snapped.  
"Yes, but I mean, he's never... he has never managed to actually hit you before, has he?"

The Saiyan shook his head.

"So, what happened, you let him win?"  
"Oh _please_," the prince sneered. "Bulma, you know me better than that. I'd never lose on purpose, especially not to my own son, I'd be killing his chances to be the among the elite. And then I'd see him turn into a goddamn nerdy_ dork_ like Kakarot's oldest spawn. Well, thank you very much, but I'll pass dishonouring my whole royal bloodline, if you don't mind."

She rolled her eyes at the end of her husband's speech. Sure, he was right: this was absolutely not like him to do so. But, if he hadn't allowed Trunks to hit him on purpose, how on Earth could _this_ happen?

"No but seriously-" she started.  
"I was serious," he cut her. "_Dead_ serious. As for that punch, he managed to do it as a Super Saiyan."  
"Trunks transformed?" she asked in shock. "But he's... he's only eight years old! That's even crazier than Gohan."  
"Well, at least I wasn't the only one who didn't know he could do this," Vegeta said, sitting on the bed as well.  
"You mean it wasn't even the first time?"  
"No," he grunted, sounding rather unpleased as he crossed his arms in his signature manner. "Apparently, him and that stupid Grotest do it all the time when they're together, like it's a fucking game-"  
"Oh, come on, his name is _Goten_. You could at least try and remember that."

Vegeta smirked silently, his arms still crossed, and there was no doubt now in Bulma's mind that he knew perfectly that the name of his son's best friend was Goten: he just liked to mock him by changing his name, like he still liked to call her "woman" after all these years, just for these times her blue eyes would narrow in amused anger and she'd respond in a way that was meant to scare him: "The name's_ Bulma_, you thick-headed Saiyan!"

Someone knocked on the door.

"Dad?" Trunks' voice asked. "Are you_ sleeping_ again, or can we go to the park now?"  
"Little bastard," Vegeta uttered under his breath.

Nonetheless, he stood up and went to the door.

"Mom!" Trunks said happily when his father opened the door. "Dad's taking me to the park!"  
"Yes," she replied with an amused look on her beautiful face. "He told me. Well, have fun!"  
"We will!"

The kid ran down the corridor in excitement, followed by his much less enthusiastic father.

* * *

_Never again, _Vegeta thought as soon as he set one foot in this crazy place.

Never again would he make such a foolish deal with his son, unless he was absolutely sure to win, even if it meant _cheating_ to win. The amusement park was everything Vegeta hated: flashy, noisy and crowded with stupid teenagers and an incredible amount of annoying brats who were running all over the place.

Really, where the fuck were these children's parents?

"I want cotton candy!" Trunks said, pulling Vegeta's arm.  
"You want what?" Vegeta asked, frowning.

Cotton candy, what sort of lame thing was that? Already Vegeta was imagining an eatable shirt...

"That," he said, pointing his finger in direction of a fat yet jovial fourty-year-old man, who was currently giving a little girl a stick toped by a huge pink thing.  
"What the hell," Vegeta mumbled, reluctantly following his son towards the stand.  
"One for you, my little boy?" the man said very nicely.

Trunks nodded frenetically.

"A big, big one!"  
"And you, sir?"  
"No,_ thanks_," the prince sneered.

Really, he'd be damned if he put that thing into his royal mouth. That weird pink ball wasn't even _food_, he'd bet on it - his Saiyan stomach just _knew_ it. The man smiled and picked one stick. Curious nontheless, Vegeta streched his neck to watch him as he moved the stick carefully, catching strays of pink that progressivly formed a very approximative sphere. He then gave it to Trunks: Vegeta paid him, and they were on their way.

"Seriously, what the _hell_ is that made of? No normal food is _pink_," Vegeta argued. "Are you sure it isn't radioactive?"  
"I dunno but it tastes good! Want some, dad?"  
"Please, no, I beg of you," he replied on an ironic tone, causing Trunks to laugh.  
"You're funny - hey, I wanna try that!"  
"Try wha-" Vegeta started, but he had followed his son with his dark eyes.

Now that looked _slightly_ better: it was some sort of a game where the player had to hit a target as hard as possible with a huge hammer, sending something up: the higher you climbed, the bigger the prize you won.

"Oh, well, aren't you cute," the young lady holding this stand said with an alluring smile when she saw Trunks. "Is he your son, sir?" she asked when Vegeta reached them.  
"Well, aren't you Miss Obvious," he scoffed.

The girl blinked several times.

"I wanna try," Trunks said.  
"You sure you can swing that thing?" the cute young lady kindly asked.

Well, she definitely had some nerve! Vegeta scowled and opened his mouth, ready to take a nasty comment, but Trunks cut him. As a spoiled child, he was used to have what he asked for_ immediately_, if not even faster than that, and that lady was clearly under his standards.

"Just gimme that stupid hammer already," he ordered.  
"All right, all right... here you go."  
"Hold that, dad," Trunks said, handing his cotton candy to Vegeta.  
"What!?"

Vegeta's cheeks turned to red: even holding that pink ball was too much for his pride to take.

"Don't tell me you need both of your hands for that thing," Vegeta commented.  
"Nope, but I don't wanna drop my cotton candy on the ground!"  
"All right," Vegeta uttered under his breath, reluctantly taking the stick.

Trunks seized the big hammer with ease. As he headed for the target, Vegeta glanced with curiosity at the thing he was holding. What did it taste like? Now that Trunks had given it to him, he truly wondered. He gazed up at his son who was now swinging the hammer in the air to practice a little.

Why not.

Carefully, VERY carefully, Vegeta took a small piece of cotton candy between his thumb and index finger: it melted a bit at the warmth of his skin. Frowning a little, he put it into his mouth. His dark eyes widened in shock: that was so... sweet! No wonder it had melted a bit on his fingers: it was nothing but pink-coloured sugar.

BOOONNNNNGGGGGGGGGG! Trunks had hit the metallic bell ontop of the tower - he'd actually altered its shape a little. After licking his fingers - how could something that weird taste so good, he did not quite understand - he took another piece of cotton candy, bigger than the first one. He had just shoved it into his mouth when he was brought back to reality by Trunks' outraged voice:

"Hey, what the - _DAD!_ If you wanted some you just had to take one at the stand!"

Shooting his father a deadly glare, he snapped his property out of his hand and, more importantly, away from Vegeta's hungry mouth. The young lady behind her stand laughed as Vegeta grunted and folded his hands into his pockets.

"Geez," Trunks mumbled, walking away towards another stand. "I swear, adults these days..."

**End of the chapter:** Princes love cotton candy, everyone knows that you know! XDDDD I hope you guys loved this chapter too!!! ;) Review pretty please :D


	30. The tamed prince

_Note: Ok you bunch of Vegeta/Bulma fans :D this chapter is like a little candy for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as Vegeta enjoyed cotton candy in the last one!_

**Chapter 30: The tamed prince**

Bulma stopped in the middle of the corridor, staring at a particular spot on the green wall. The blue-haired woman smiled dreamingly. It had been repaired and the expensive portrait had been replaced, sure: it had been done so well that there was no telling what had happened. _She_, however, knew perfectly that about nine years ago, it was against this very part of the wall that Vegeta and herself had given in to their passion for the first time. The night Trunks had been conceived... or perhaps it had been on the bathroom's floor, the day after. Dates were so close, there was no telling, really. But... she felt it in her heart that it had happened _there_.

Or perhaps she just liked to imagine that their son had been conceived the first time Vegeta's body had claimed hers so hastily.

"Searching for any evidence of what we did there nine years ago?" a voice asked, bringing her back to reality.

She turned at the sound of Vegeta's voice: having just gotten out of his after-training shower, he was wearing nothing but a towel. She smiled.

"You remember?" she uttered under her breath, quite amazed that he had managed to understand what she was thinking about just by seeing her staring at this spot on the wall.

The prince smirked.

"Quite hard to forget, if not impossible," he simply stated. "I had you moaning and screaming my name so loud, I've still got an ear that doesn't hear quite as good as the other."

She gave him a weak punch on his right arm and glared at him with her beautiful cobalt eyes.

"You stupid jerk," she replied, "I'm sure that's not even true."

Vegeta smirked and brought her closer.

"Perhaps both of my ears are the same, but I still had you screaming my name," he continued, smirking as though the situation was rather amusing.

Bulma's sapphire eyes narrowed into two thin slits as she turned a delicate shade of pink that matched her new dress very well.

"Oh well," she said, "You were quite noisy too."

The Saiyan's trademark smirk grew bigger on his lips.

"And yet I didn't scream anybody's name, as I recall."

She lightly smacked the back of his head.

"Jerk," she repeated, though she sounded amused.

Her red lips curved into a smirk when she realised how little clothes he was wearing, and how close he held her against his muscular body.

"You know," she said slyly, "Your body's pratically screaming 'rape' when it's covered only by a mere towel."

Vegeta smirked back at his wife and arched an eyebrow.

"So does yours in that dress," he responded.  
"You know that this towel is meant to fall somehow," she whispered to his ear with a teasing voice, nibbling his earlobe. "Don't you?"

His hand fell down her back, squeezing her left buttock a little, then started to touch the perfectly round-shaped flesh in a much more caressing manner. He felt her breath heavier on his skin, and a certain part of his own body suddenly needing more room. Bulma gasped in surprise when she was pushed against the wall by Vegeta quite violently: nonetheless, she couldn't help but smile a little bit as it reminded her so much of their first time together, causing the same delightful twist in her stomach. He kissed her in his usual wild, breath-taking way.

No, finally, it was much better than nine years ago: this time around, she hadn't just gone down an expensive bottle of wine, and therefore wasn't drunk - though she knew very well that it would've happened even had she been sober.

His red, burning tongue ran down her sensitive neck: she shivered and threw her head back on the wall behind her.

"Vegeta," she moaned. "-hey, that'll leave a mark," she protested weakly.  
"Poor fragile woman," he replied, chuckling darkly in her ear in a way that sent chills down her spine yet again.

He caught her lips again with his own, and oh how much she loved the way he kissed her. Perhaps them getting together and having a son was the most unlikely twist of even for everyone they knew, but from Bulma's point of view, it was simply the best turn of even _ever_. The Saiyan's hand made its way under her short dress, caressing her perfectly shaped thighs as he slid her underwear down her soft skin: there was a very faint noise as his towel dropped on the floor - because of Bulma's hands or his, they didn't quite know nor cared - and finally, _finally_, he was right where he belonged.

It felt so perfect every time that she still wondered how it had ever been possible for her to be satisfied by anyone else than him.

She arched her back and dug her fingers into his dark hair, still wet from the long shower he had just taken. He was holding her legs so incredibly firmly, one would be more than legitimate to wonder how come she didn't squeal in pain or, at the very least, ask for him to loosen his grip a little. His passion made his moves wild, rough: it almost seemed like it was way too brutal for such a fragile-looking woman to handle.

Yet, all her face and voice were expressing was an intense pleasure, for it was, after all, the only thing that she was feeling at the moment. It was the only thing Bulma had ever felt in her husband's arms: he'd never hurt her, no matter how passionnate it could get between them. It was as if he knew by instinct all of her limits, all of her borders between pleasure and pain.

"Eeek," she gasped, digging her manucured nails into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms firmly around her body, holding him against his chest instead of pressing her against the wall.

The next thing she knew, he was closing the door behind them by pushing her against it. She heard the lock.

"Anti-brat protection," he whispered, brushing his teeth against her ear.

She chuckled lightly, and felt his hand going in her back, searching for the buttons or the _whatever_-it-was that he could undo to get rid of her dress.

Because she didn't truly need that thing right now, did she?

Of course not.

Losing patience - and Kami knew Vegeta's was quite limited in its length - he decided to deal with that matter by using a method that had proved its efficiency centuries ago: by ripping it apart. She did not even protest that it was a new dress: her bra quickly flew into the air, landing somewhere near the pink fabric that used to be a pretty dress. Her mouth allowed a whimper to escape and her back arched yet again when she felt his lips, tongue and even teeth on her breast.

"Vegeta," she moaned.

He smirked mentally as his whole body shivered only by the way she spoke his name: her voice was truly the sexiest sound he could ever heard.

Especially when it spoke his name in such a begging way that it almost seemed as though she would die if he stopped whatever he was doing.

"Please don't st-_AH!_"

He felt her nails digging into his skin once again, and her whole body shaking: she threw her head back and screamed his name in ectasy. He quickly followed - though not as noisy as her, of course. Panting, Bulma kissed his forehead, then leaned hers on his. There gazes met, and lust could still be easily seen in Vegeta's dark eyes: she could also feel him still very hard inside her. Clearly he wanted more.

How convenient, really.

"Wanna do that again?" she purred into his ear in a very seductive manner.

Vegeta smirked.

"If I didn't know for a fact that Kakarot is dead, I'd think you're trying to help him in the Tournament by exhausting me the night before, _woman_."

She pouted like a spoiled kid.

"You exhausted already?"

Bulma gasped in surprise, and then laughed, when she was thrown on their bed. He climbed on the bed, approching her and gazing down at her in what she called his horny-and-fucking-sexy-Saiyan eyes.

Damn... and to think that she had him for herself, to think that her, Bulma Briefs, had somehow tamed the arrogant and cruel warrior that he used to be and made him her husband... it might sound unbelievable, but it was true. Though he'd never admit it, he finally belonged to someone, he wasn't alone anymore. He had a family: a wife who loved him and a son he could be proud of.

"Lemme make this clear," he whispered darkly to her ear. "When I'm through with you, you won't be able to leave that bed for hours..."  
"Oh I'd _love_ to see that," she whispered back, smirking as she did so.

He kissed her, and she couldn't help but smile mentally: who would've thought? Just like every little girl, she used to dream that one day, she'd marry the Charming Prince on his white horse. Well... it had been the used-to-be-ruthless warrior prince in his ship...

But, hey, he was still a prince.

**End of the chapter:** Theeere you gooo :D next chapters my friends, the TOURNAMENT! Sexy-badass Majin Vegeta is on his royal way! Now, look at the button on the bottom... that's right, the review button! Can't you hear him begging you to press it and write a comment? *faint voice* _Pressss meeeee... revieeeeeewwwwww...._


	31. Taking it easy

**Juliet:** Hehe ^^ I knew this voice would work somehow :D thank you very much!

_Author's rant: Hey hey hey ^^ because I see many of you enjoying this, and because I have a lot of fun myself, I decided to change my mind AGAIN (remember that it was supposed, first, to end at chapter 20, "Revelation"). I had decided to end it by Vegeta's epic sacrifice ('cause I thought, hey that's a good end XD), so it would've ended in two chapters or so. BUT then I read DonSani's fanfic and there's Bra in there, and I thought, "Aww, man, writing about Vegeta having a daughter would be so freaking hilarious". There was no point in starting another fanfiction just for it, so this story will go on for a moment :D _  
_I must warn you, though: so far, I've done my best to keep the story accurate and close to the real events in the anime. However, when I go further than the Buu saga, I will not *shudders* follow this so-called sequel *shudders even more and starts to get paler* GT *vomits*. Firstly, because I don't remember it well, and SECONDLY, because I still remember it well enough to know that it sucked in my opinion. So if you wanted to see Saiyans sharing their powers, Goku and Vegeta's sons all turning into sissies, Dragon Balls' minus-energy-whatever, and MORE IMPORTANTLY Vegeta growing a MOUSTACHE... erm... I'm sorry, but you won't with me :D_

**Chapter 31: Taking it easy**

Vegeta had woken up at five o'clock or so, to do some "warming up training", as he called it. He'd even managed to get a rather reluctant Trunks to leave his bed and follow him down in the Gravity Room, with the very solid argument that he would cheer for Goten instead of him if he was too lazy to train and get ready properly. This threat had send electricity down the boy's spine: he had gotten on his feet at _once_, and had raced Vegeta to the Gravity Capsule.

Bulma had rolled her eyes upon hearing her husband's "threat" to their son. Of course this wasn't true: even with a knife pressed on his throat, Vegeta would _never_ cheer for anybody else's son, and especially not Goku's. She wasn't even sure he actually _knew_ what "cheering" meant anyway. She had smiled, rolled on the other side of the bed, and had fallen back to sleep, her faint smile still lingering on her lips.

But three hours later, she wasn't smiling anymore. She was staring at her reflection in the mirror with a deadly glare. Just like she thought, Vegeta had left a red mark on the bottom of her fragile neck. _Great. Now I have to hide that_. A scarf would surely do the trick. She'd been looking for a nice one for fifteen minutes when the door opened behind her.

"What's taking you so long?" Vegeta's unpleased voice asked.  
"You," she replied, still searching in the drawer.  
"Me?"  
"Yeah, you and your hickeys."

Even without seeing him, she could imagine his lips curving into a smirk.

"Oh, _that_," he simply replied, sounding rather amused now.  
"Yeah, that."

Finally, she got her hands on a yellow scarf, that she elegantly tied around her neck.

"Great, now we can go."  
"I thought you'd never say that," Vegeta said, rolling his dark eyes.

_Watch you butt, Kakarot. My foot's coming right for it_.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, _JUNIOR_ DIVISION?"

Trunks and Goten glared rather menancingly at the man taking the registrations for the Tournament.

"Well, yes, you guys are too young to enter the adult competition-"  
"Really? Since when?" Goku asked, a hand on his youngest son's shoulder. "I used to fight against the adults when I was a child myself."  
"This is a new rule," the man stated.  
"Aw, man, this stinks," Goten said to his friend.  
"But come _on_," Trunks insisted, "I mean this is _ridiculous_-"  
"No exceptions. Junior division or no Tournament for you."

The spoiled child scoffed, obviously insulted.

"Oh, all right," he said, walking away to follow the other junior competitors.

Goten followed few seconds later.

"This is completely absurd, I mean we're gonna beat these guys up so easily, this won't even be funny," Trunks scowled.  
"Yeah, but if these are the rules, I guess we have to stick to it."

Trunks crossed his arms, in a very Vegeta-like manner.

"Well, I'll show them. Junior division..."

He stared at the others kids: most of them seemed scared of their own shadow.

"Geez, what a bunch of wimps," he sighed. "I swear, I'll find a way to make it to the grown up Tournament too."  
"But we can't," Goten protested. "We're _kids_, they'll see it."

Trunks smirked: again, he looked very much like a miniature version of his father doing this.

"Just lemme thing this through," he said with a hint of mystery in his voice. "I'll figure it out."

* * *

"Now that's another new thing," Goku commented as they all stared at the punching machine. "This wasn't there in the previous ones."  
"This is about the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen," Vegeta's voice snapped back.  
"And now, the world's champion, our hero: Mr. SaaaaaaaaaTAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The man walked around the machine, showing off his muscles as the crowd cheered for him loudly: Vegeta sighed heavily. It was a shame Cell hadn't killed this imbecile.

"That _prick_ again..."  
"What?" the girl with Gohan said with a deadly glare at the prince. "Listen you-"

Gohan's eyes widened: the last thing he wanted was Videl provocking Vegeta and pissing him off. He may be Bulma's husband, but for Gohan, he was also the cold-blooded warrior who had attacked his planet and killed his friends when he was only a child. He didn't want Videl to get him angry.

"Don't sweat it, Videl!" the nerd said. "Really, if only you knew how Vegeta is - always joking!"

Vegeta arched an eyebrow: him, _joking?_ Yeah, right. That idiot had surely hit his head recently - which would also explain the goofy outfit he was wearing. What Saiyan - even _half_-Saiyan - in his right mind would wear this thing in public? If Trunks ever got _close_ to wearing something like that, Vegeta would make sure to deal with the matter personally - and killing his own son with his bare hands was an option.

The prince smirked, though, when he understood what was going on. That dork was clearly trying to impress that Videl girl. Vegeta's eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at her: she was fair-skinned, like Bulma. She had short, dark hair, and an eye colour that stood somewhere between blue and purple. She was kind of pretty, but Vegeta's eyebrows lifted a little when he sensed her power. Well, for a young female Earthling, he had to admit that her energy level was surprisingly high. Funnily enough, her energy was higher than the so-called champion's.

_Well, talk about a tough guy. He'd get his ass kicked by that teenage girl..._

"Constestant number 18!"

The blonde left her husband and daughter to walk towards the machine.

"Is it your real name?" the announcer asked casually.  
"My father was pretty dull," she coldly replied.

Pretty dull, you could say that. Her "father" was an annoying robot-freak who'd planned on destroying the Earth.

"Erm... ok," the man replied. "Well, if you please..."  
"Take it easy, darling!" Krillin said.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. This guy was an _idiot_. He'd _married_ a goddamn _android_. Though Bulma insisted that she was a cyborg, a human whose body was enhanced by science, for Vegeta she was still a machine. A robot was a robot, no matter how shiny the painting was. You had to be stupid to get married to _that_. Or perhaps it was some kind of weird fetishism, he wasn't quite sure.

The blonde hit the target with a careless slap. The numbers on the screen went crazy for a while, then stopped on a number over 700 - about seven times Satan's score. The people around the machine scratched their heads, looking at the mecanism for a problem, while Krillin hid his face behind his hand.

"That's what you call TAKING IT EASY???" he yelled.

She blinked one time, then stared at her husband.

"It's not _my_ fault these guys are _weaklings_," she stated.  
"Erm... well... nothing seems to be wrong with the machine, but still... would you mind.. trying it again, madam?"

The android sighed, but still, reluctantly obeyed: with two fingers, she tapped on the punching machine once. The number was still high - about 200 - but the men noted it anyway.

Her husband and her friends followed. Vegeta was getting kind of bored: waiting was definitely not his thing. Plus, he wanted to watch the junior Tournament and see Trunks kick some butts: and, more importantly, Goten's.

"Vegeta!"

_Well, about damn time!_ He walked towards the machine, his arms crossed.

"Remember to take it easy," Goku whispered.

The prince did nothing but smirk. Taking it easy was for weaklings, something that he was definitely not. Not to mention that he had gone from bored to pissed off, and this irritation had to be evacuated somehow.

"Stand aside," he ordered harshly, pulling back his arm.

The men around the machine did not move: all right, that guy had pretty big arms, but he was also rather short. He couldn't possibly be that strong, could he?

Yes, he _could_.

They jumped aside in confusion when Vegeta's punch sent the machine flying back, until it finally stopped - destroying a few walls in the process.

"Aw, _man_," Goku sighed, hiding his face as Vegeta walked away.

At least he hadn't transformed into a Super Saiyan: the last thing they needed was a flash of golden light and dark hair turning white-blond.

But, still... the prince truly needed to learn the definition of "taking it easy".

**End of the chapter:** MUAHAHAA I sooo loved that scene, and then you have Vegeta's theme playing as if he had just killed some major villain... but, not, he just punched the shit out of that machine XD


	32. Through our blood

**Chapter 32: Through our blood**

"I can't wait to fight!" Goten said happily, sitting on a bench.

Trunks, who was facing his friend with his arms crossed, simply nodded. The two boys bore stricking ressemblance to their respective father: physically, yes - for Trunks, even if he had been given his mother's eyes, shared most of his father's facial features - but also mentally. Goten was very naive and cheerful, just like Goku. And Trunks, while he was as eager to fight than his friend, was much calmer than him.

"That'll be you and me in the finals, Goten, I'm telling you."  
"We don't know," Goten replied innocently. "Maybe one of them is very strong!"  
"As strong as a Super Saiyan? Lemme laugh."  
"Hey! Our dads said we wouldn't go Super!"

Trunks sighed, a little bit annoyed.

"I didn't mean we would transform, I just meant we are at this level and those guys are a bunch of weaklings."  
"Hey, kiddo!" a loud voice said behind Trunks.

The blue-eyed boy turned with a deadly glare, only to meet with a close fist. The fist was about one inch away from his nose, and yet he arched an eyebrow and glanced up at the young teenager responsible for this. His small arms were still crossed, and the taller boy moved back as Trunks stared at him rather menancingly.

"Wh... what? But... why aren't you... crying or yelling or at least scared?"

Trunks' eyes narrowed in a way that was dangerously close to Vegeta's.

"Get lost," he snapped.

The bully swallowed hard and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"You scared him," Goten said cheerfully.  
"It would've been harder to scare a mouse," Trunks sneered.

* * *

"LET'S GO, TRUNKS!" Bulma shouted happily.

The ugly lady sitting next to her sneered.

"Oh, come on," she said. "You're delusional, don't give the kid false hope - he's got absolutely no chance against my champion. GO HONEY!"

Bulma glared angrily at the woman. Who the fuck did she think she was, insulting her son and herself like that? What prevented her from smacking her at the back of her head and yelling "Listen, old _bitch_, if your stupid kid knew only _half_ the man my husband is, he'd peed in his pants right now and hid under your skirts at _once_", she didn't really know. You couldn't just insult Trunks and Vegeta in front of her and get a way with it so easily. She didn't do it, though: there was no point explaining this idiot what a Saiyan was, but she still got on her feet and shouted:

"LET'S GO, TRUNKS! YOU MAKE THIS IMBECILE SORRY HE EVER MET YOU!"

She sat back on her seat and crossed her arms in a way that was very much like Vegeta's, and took a deep breath. Before the competition, she had asked Trunks to make sure he wouldn't hurt anybody.

Well, now he could blast the shit out of that slut's brat, and she wouldn't give a damn.

* * *

"Do your best, Trunks!" Krillin yelled.

The bald idiot blinked several times.

"Oh, wait, Trunks' best might actually hurt somebody," he said to himself. "TRUNKS! JUST DO _OK!_"

Vegeta simply rolled his eyes and watched carefully at the arena. That guy, even though he was older and taller than his son, was absolutely nothing. He'd bet a thousand cotton candy sticks that this would be over within seconds. After all, if Trunks had learned anything from their training, it was that there was absolutely no need to waste energy and time when you had to kill flies. The only thing he hoped was that Trunks would not use too much strength against these ridiculous competitors: not that he actually minded if these weaklings got hurt or killed, but that would disqualify him, and therefore he wouldn't be able to win against Goten.

And _that,_ he minded a _lot._

"Three... two... one... GO!"

In the blink of an eye, Trunks lowered his upper body and kicked his opponent's legs. The teenager fell loudly on the arena's ground, and Trunks walked away, satisfied. With one swift motion, he had managed not only to avoid a hit, but also to knock out his opponent: his father would be proud.

Or so he hoped.

"That was quick!" Goku said with a big smile.

Vegeta didn't reply, but Krillin nodded.

"Yeah, sure was. Well, that was predictable. I guess this won't be much of a tournament until Trunks and Goten get to fight together."

The Saiyan prince smirked with content.

"And we both know how this is going to end, don't we, Kakarot?"

Goku's smile did not leave his lips.

"Well, I don't know. Trunks looks pretty good, that's for sure. I wish I knew just how strong Goten is..."

His cheerful smile disappeared.

_To think that I didn't even know he **existed** before today..._

When he had been allowed to come back on Earth for a full day, he already knew that it would be hard to leave his friends, wife and son once again when he would reach the deadline. But... seeing Goten for the first time made this even harder.

_"Hi everyone!"_  
_"GOKU!"_

_Bulma hugged him tightly - much to Vegeta's discontent - and his friends ran towards him to greet him. His eyes stopped nervously on a blonde, beautiful young woman. What on Earth was she doing here?_

_"Erm - GUYS - 18's here!"_

_The android smirked._

_"Oh, look, he noticed," she said mockingly._

_Without a word, Krillin glanced up at his best friend and took the blonde's hand. Goku slightly nodded: well, why not... his eyes searched for someone very special._

_"Chichi!"_

_He took one step towards her, but stopped when he saw a tiny hand on her leg. A child? Had she gotten married to another man since he had died? This thought brought an horrible feeling to his heart, but then the small boy peeked, and Goku felt an intense relief. With those crazy hair and those dark eyes, there was no doubt the child was his. So... so Chichi was pregnant when he had died? His heart sank: the boy was around seven, one year younger than Trunks. He was his second son and he had never known he existed, let alone seen him: and yet... he had only twenty-four hours to give him._

_"Hey," he said playfully, lowering himself a little so he wouldn't scare the kid. "Chichi, I think there's a little me behind your leg!"_

_She smiled, and the child hid behind her again._

_"That's Goten," she said. "Come on, Goten, don't be scared..."_

_She gently pushed his shoulder._

_"Go see daddy..."_

_And the moment Goten walked hesitantly towards him, the moment he had held his second son in his arms for the very first time... Goku knew he didn't want to be dead anymore._

"Kakarot," Vegeta's rough voice said. "Hey, Kakarot."  
"Uh?"  
"Snap out of it, you're gonna miss the action."

He pointed the arena with his thumb: Trunks and Goten were facing each others.

"Oh. Sorry."

Vegeta smirked.

"Don't mention it. I just wanted to make sure you'd see Trunks win," he said, crossing his arms.

Goku slightly shook his head: he'd married Bulma and was obviously doing his best to take care of their son - for that, he felt pretty proud of his old rival - and yet he hadn't changed one bit when it came to his obsession to beat him in a fight someday.

"Oh, Geez," Krillin said. "We told them no energy blast and yet Trunks' doing it!"

Vegeta said nothing: he had personally trained his son every day since he'd been able to walk properly. He knew that Trunks knew what he was doing.

"Don't worry," Goku said. "I mean we said that but I'm pretty sure Goten can handle this... plus, look at him! The kid's in perfect control!"

_That's amazing_, he thought. To have such a control a powerful energy like this, at such a young age... Vegeta was probably a pain in the ass to train with, but he sure knew how to make his son grow into a strong warrior.

"Wow," he said as Trunks turned into a Super Saiyan in a flash of familiar golden light. "So he can do it too, huh? I guess the new generation's much tougher than ours..."  
"OFF BOUNDS!" the announcer yelled.

They all stretched their necks: Goten had obviously tried to brake in the air, but, nonetheless, his feet had touched the wall.

_YES!_

This filled Vegeta's heart and soul with a deep, overwhelming content and pride: he'd finally done it! He'd finally won something against that ridiculous third-class warrior!

"WELL," he said, his smirk bigger than ever as he patted Goku's shoulder. "Cheer up, Kakarot: there's always next year!"

Yes, yes, yes, yes! He'd done it! Thanks to Trunks, he finally had his victory! He'd kicked that clown's goofy butt! He'd have to congratulate Trunks as soon as he could.

Perhaps he'd even go as far as taking him to the amusement park again.

**End of the chapter: **Was so happy for him when that happened muhahaha :D Btw, don't you think Vegeta has a SLIGHT influence over Bulma? XD


	33. The prince's tainted heart

_Author's mini-rant: Oh Geez... I've been waiting to write this for ages :D I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! __Oh, and as you will notice, I've skipped the whole Babidi-Bibidi-Buu (*sings* Babidi, Babudu, Babidi Buuuu! Bibidi, Bibidi Buuuu! *runs before getting hit by the readers for her poor singing skills*) explanation and mini fights in the ship... because I take it for granted that you know all that, and I'm not really into re-writing stuff like that :D I hope you guys won't mind._

**Chapter 33: The prince's tainted heart**

"Aw, man," Goku sighed. "I can't believe he just let us alone like that."  
"Why did he leave for?" Gohan asked. "I mean you can't just leave in the middle of a fight, that's just so rude."  
"Perhaps he went for another challenger," the Supreme Kai suggested. "Vegeta and your father's exploits must've convinced him that they need someone stronger to stop us."  
"But _still_," Gohan insisted, "I was fighting him! That guy has no manner."

Vegeta said nothing at all: his arms were crossed and his back turned on the others as he stared blankly at the wall. He had set a trap for that foolish red thing and its master: now, he just hoped that it would work. Well, judging by how quick Dabura had been to leave them after his well-prepared speech, it seemed as though he had walked right in the middle of the trap.

* * *

"Why did you leave the fight?" Babidi asked, glaring at his servant.  
"Master Babidi," Dabura replied with the utmost respect, "I have found a new servant for you - one that is much stronger than anyone you've ever possessed."  
"Among _them?_" the old wizard said, staring at his crystal ball. "That's ridiculous - you know as well as I do that I cannot possess those who have a pure heart."  
"I know, Master, but those guys - one of them is different."  
"Different, uh?"

He stared at the small group yet again, and then it hit him with the strength of a ton of bricks.

"Ah, yes, I see... yes, the mighty prince of Saiyans is _very_ interesting, both for his power and his heart... very interesting indeed..."

Why hadn't he seen this by himself before his servant did? The prince Vegeta's heart and soul were tainted by thousands, perhaps even millions of cold-blooded murders and many years of ruthless, cruel behaviour. He was very powerful, almost as much as the innocent Goku, yet he _craved_ for more power. He was just _perfect_. A smile creeped on his lips, revealing his small, dirty teeth.

"You're more useful than I thought."

* * *

"This is taking so long," the Supreme Kai finally said. "I truly wonder..."

His eyes widened as he felt an horrible twitch in his stomach. He quickly turned at Vegeta, and then reality hit him. He'd done a mistake, a terrible one. Why had he been so _stupid?_ Allowing Vegeta to follow them to fight Babidi was basically bringing a wounded doe to a wolf! Though Vegeta now fought with them, he still possessed a dark, tainted heart, which made him a perfect target for Babidi's magic.

"Oh, no," he whispered for himself.  
"What's wron-" Goku started, only to be interrupted by Vegeta's horrible scream. "Vegeta!"

He tried to run towards him, but the Supreme Kai stopped him.

"That's Babidi," he explained. "Dabura noticed Vegeta's true nature and told his master that he could be controlled by him!"  
"What?! No way! If he's got Vegeta we're in trouble!"

Vegeta fell on his knees, his whole body shaking: it felt as though an elephant was trying to enter his body through his ears. That "elephant", he guessed, was Babidi's magic. He had to allow it far enough in his mind to benefit from his power, but not far enough to lose control and end up as the wizard's puppet. Panting, he barely noticed that the Supreme Kai was kneeling next to him.

"You've got to fight it!"

Bulma's beautiful face appeared before his eyes: he closed them very tightly to wipe her away, but she wouldn't disappear.

"Vegeta, please - don''t let him control you!" the Kai begged.

Vegeta took a deep breath, then shuddered. That woman! She'd manipulated him!

_"That's right, Vegeta,"_ Babidi's annoying yet attractive voice said to his ear. _"Forget about your family... you want power, don't you?"_  
_"Marry me."_  
_"Daddy!"_

Trunks' face appeared next to his mother's: Vegeta's eyes was as tightly closed as their could possibly be, and yet they were still there, speaking to him.

Because of her, he'd settled down on this mudball.

Because of him, he'd gone under easier trainings, so the kid could keep up.

Because of her, he'd stopped caring about only himself.

Because of him, he'd gone softer.

Because of them both... he'd gone weaker.

_"That's it, that's it Vegeta! Think, think, how weak your family made you... I can make you so powerful, even more powerful than you were before... just give in to my power..."_  
_"I want cotton candy!" Trunks said happily._  
_"What happened to your body?" Bulma's soft voice asked._  
_"Dad, can we play a game next time?"_

The more the memories of their voices came to his mind, spinning and echoing, the weaker he felt Babidi's attempt to possess him. No! He had to allow the wizard to make him powerful, or else... or else he'd never be able to be that strong warrior anymore!

"Yes, Vegeta, that's it - fight it!"

_Bulma leaned her forehead against his._

_"I love you," she whispered._

Three words she had spoken only once, three words that made him feel powerful... but it was only an illusion, just like Bulma's face in his brain right now. She wasn't there, nor was he any more powerful when she was around: on the contrary, she'd made him _weaker_. She'd brought him to his knees when he had _sworn_ he would die before kneeling ever again, she'd bounded him to her forever when he had sworn that would never happen after Frieza's death.

He was at her mercy. He'd let that happen, but this could not be tolerated any longer.

"Be innocent and pure, don't let him enslave you!"

Innocent? _Pure?_ What the hell was he saying?

"I'M NOT INNOCENT!" he shouted loudly.

That idiot purple being had no idea how dark his heart was, nor did he have any idea about what it did to be enslaved! Vegeta did. Babidi wasn't _enslaving_ him.

_"Give in to my power, Vegeta..."_

He was _freeing_ him.

There was a flash of brilliant, golden light, and the prince was finally allowed to get on his feet again. He smirked with content.

_Free at last_.

* * *

"Hey, look!" Videl said cheerfully. "They're back!"

After a very short moment, though, she sat back on her seat, disappointed. Gohan wasn't there.

"Oh, nevermind - just Vegeta and Goku."  
"Well," Chichi responded, "Whatever they had to do, that was pretty quick."

Bulma frowned slightly and got on her feet: Goku and Vegeta were facing each other, and even though she was too far to hear their conversation, she could feel that something was wrong. Had she been any closer, she would've been able to notice Babidi's mark on her husband forehead, but now all she could do was stare at them in silence. There was something about Vegeta... she couldn't exactly tell, but she felt that something was not right. She usually felt warmer and more comfortable whenever her eyes laid on him, but right now, as she looked at him, she felt colder and scared. But why? Never, ever, even when they were not together, had he scared her...

He extended his arm carelessly, pointing a bunch of people sitting in the stadium.

"VEGETA, NO!" Goku yelled.

Why was he yelling for? There was no need to - but, with the sound of a heavy and powerful wind, a ray of golden energy destroyed the section Vegeta had been pointing. People screamed in fear and ran away, and yet Bulma didn't hear them, nor did she even see them: all she could see was Vegeta.

"N... no," she whispered.

Tears came up her beautiful blue eyes and her chin started to shake: why would he do such a horrible thing?

"This... this can't be... this must be some kind of mistake..."

Her voice was getting fainter, and her body weaker: her legs finally abandonned her, but, thanks to Chichi and Videl, she did not fall on the ground.

"Vegeta," she murmured, hiding her face in her friend's neck.

Confused, Chichi did the only thing she could: she closed her arms and held Bulma against her chest. The Saiyans had disappeared from the arena, but none of their wives noticed. Chichi felt Bulma's tears on her skin, and she hugged her closer.

"This is going to be all right," she said. "We'll..."  
"All right? Did you see what happened? He _murdered_ those people!"  
"We'll bring them back!" Chichi said very firmly. "The Dragon Balls, remember? We can use your radar to gather them. Come on, Bulma..."

She stared at her friend right into the eyes.

"We'll gather the Balls and wish those people back to life. Meanwhile, Goku's gonna put some sense into Vegeta's head."

Bulma bit her shaking bottom lip and looked away.

"I hope you're right, Chichi..."

**End of the chapter:** Well am I on fire or NOT. Next chapter, you've been praying, crossing your fingers and begging for it: ATONEMENT TIME BABY!!!


	34. Vegeta's Atonement

_Author's mini-little-tiny rant: Ok guys. Go get the tissues if you're sensitive and/or if final atonement always makes you cry anyway. I cried writing it (all right I know it's pitiful to cry at your own stuff, but still, I had to mention it XD)_

**Chapter 34: Vegeta's Atonement**

"Ok, so that makes already two of them," Yamcha said. "Where's the next one, Bulma?"

He got no answer, and he frowned.

"Hey, B."

Her head lifted: Yamcha hadn't called her like that for so long that it felt like centuries had passed since those days.

"What?"  
"I'm ok with being the pilot, but would you mind telling me where the hell I am going right now?" he asked.

He sounded calm, and yet he was very mad at Vegeta._ Fuck you, goddamn Saiyan prince. You have no right to steal the woman I love from me and then destroying her like that_.

"Just..."

Bulma sighed heavily and glanced down at her radar.

"Go a bit further to the North," she finally said.

The scientist leaned back on her seat, staring at her knees. What had happened to the one she loved? All those innocent people killed for no apparent reason, and that horrible smirk on his lips...

"I'm... I'm sorry guys... for the way I am right now... I just... I don't understand. Why, why, why would Vegeta do such a thing?" she asked, a hint of despair in her voice. "I-I mean this isn't like him... I know him, I've married him! I know he's not an angel, I know he's done horrible things before, things that he won't ever tell me about, but... but _that_... why would he?"

She stared at Yamcha: years ago, he had warned her against Vegeta, and she had never believed him. But now...

"You told me," Bulma continued with her shaking voice. "You told me and I didn't listen-"  
"No," Yamcha replied, his jaw tense in an effort to hold back his hatred towards Vegeta. "I told you Vegeta would never love you, not that he would go crazy and kill dozens of people for nothing. The thing is..."

He sighed heavily. Had he not been the pilot, he would've looked at her right into the eyes.

"I was wrong on that," he finally dropped. "It kills me to admit it, but he _does_ love you, in his own weird and selfish way."  
"But then those innocents!" she insisted. "He knew I was there, why would he do that if front of me? I could've been in this section, _Trunks_ could've been in this section! And yet he just... he just..."

Master Roshi put a comforting hand on her shoulder - and, for once, he did not try to touch her breast or glance down at her cleavage, which proved that the situation was tough for everyone in the Capsule Corp jet.

"This was not Vegeta," he said very firmly. "The Vegeta we know is hot-headed, arrogant and narcissic, but he wouldn't kill innocent people like that, not anymore. I still can't figure out what happened exactly... but this wasn't Vegeta."

Bulma sniffed and leaned her forehead on the window.

"I hope you're right," she whispered.

She suddenly got on her feet.

"Wait! He must be fighting Goku now, right?"  
"Possibly," Yamcha replied. "That's all he ever wanted to do anyway."  
"B-but if Vegeta's now on the _other_ side... what if Goku..."

The blue-haired young woman bit her bottom lip, unable to finish her sentence. Right now, she was devastated and she was ready to kick her husband's butt, but if Goku killed him... she would never accept it.

"No," Videl suddenly said. "Gohan told me a lot about his father, and that man would never kill anyone."  
"She's right," Chichi said very firmly. "Come on, Bulma, you know Goku. This isn't like him to kill Vegeta."

* * *

"This isn't like you," Goku said, his hand clutching at his very painful arm.

Vegeta smirked cunningly, wiping some dirt away from his shoulder.

"What isn't?" he harshly asked.  
"Being anyone's slave. After Frieza, I mean. You're the last person I'd expect to be anyone's puppet ever again."

Vegeta's green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"A slave?" he said. "What do you know about slavery?"

Goku said nothing. Yes, that was true: unlike Vegeta, he had spent his whole life as a free man. Quite ironically, among all Saiyans, it seemed that the prince had had it the worst. Vegeta took one step forward, his eyes glaring at him with all the hatred one could possibly put in his gaze, and yet the other Saiyan did not move.

"Tell me, Kakarot," he continued, "Is that slavery when you get what you want?"  
"When you..." Goku started.

Then, his dark eyes suddenly widened. He couldn't _possibly_ mean...

"Y-you mean... no, you wouldn't have!"

The Saiyan prince's smirk grew bigger on his lips.

"You mean, provocking Babidi's attempt to take control over my mind and body? Purposely allow Dabura to see how tainted my heart and soul are? _Hell_ yeah."  
"Tainted? What do you mean, _tainted?_ You're one of us now!"

Vegeta laughed - though his laugh was humourless and cold, almost cruel.

"One of you, _right_," he sneered. "Have you already forgotten who I am? My hands are dirty with the blood of thousands of people. A murderer," he continued after glancing down at his gloved hands for few seconds. "A ruthless warrior. That's what I am. Thanks to Babidi's magic, I am back the way I used to be, I'm back the way I _should_ be. And I even got a little power up, how's that? Is that _slavery?_ I don't think so!"

Goku slowly shook his head.

"I'll believe it when you do Vegeta," he replied. "Why on Earth would you do that? You've never accepted anyone's help before, so why, of all _people_, would you chose _Babidi_ and risk your freedom just to get more power? Do you truly think it's worth it?"  
"You have some nerves!" Vegeta yelled, unable to contain his anger any longer. "Telling me that it isn't worth it! You don't know what you're talking about! Do you have the slightest idea how it feels when you've been told all your life that you were the elite, only to be unable to surpass a low-class _clown_ like yourself later? I've trained every goddamn day since you died, and yet, _yet_, you were still stronger than me!"

He took a deep breath, his fists shaking from the tension.

"This is unbearable, do you get that? I understood what had happened to me earlier in Babidi's ship. I had grown softer," he reluctantly admitted. "I had planned on leaving after fighting the androids, but then... then I found myself with a son, a family. Can you believe I truly decided that Earth was a fine place for me to stay and _proposed_ that woman? I've trained _every_ day since you died, but my trainings were not as intense as they used to be, as I had the little one with me! I even got _late_ at some trainings because of that damned _woman_ you put on my path, Kakarot! Back there in the ship, I realised... they were holding me back. They've been holding me back for about eight years now. But thanks to Babidi..."

Vegeta opened his arms widely.

"I'm _free._ Not only did he make me more powerful than before, but he also unsealed the darkness in my heart - I don't _care_ anymore. And I swear, Kakarot, it feels _fucking_ good."

For one split second, Goku thought about bringing Bulma here with Instant Transmission: perhaps his own words were useless, perhaps she was the only one who could actually bring Vegeta back to reality. But, if she - like he feared - she had witnessed him killing those innocents, then she wouldn't hesitate in yelling at her husband or even trying to strangle him with her bare hands, which would eventually lead to a tragical end for her. Furthermore, he did not want her to suffer anymore that she probably did right now by forcing her to hear Vegeta claiming that he did not give a damn about her and Trunks anymore.

Bad idea.

So, instead of doing that... he punched him with all his strength.

"I've told you, Vegeta," he spat. "Talk all you want, as long as you won't believe your own words, I won't believe them either."  
"Fool!"

Vegeta rushed him - only to be interrupted by the ground shaking under them. Vegeta fell on his knees.

"What the hell is that?" Vegeta grunted, getting on his feet again. "Can't I just get to fight you without being interrupted?! Don't I DESERVE that fight, for fuck's sake?!"  
"Majin Buu," Goku immediately said, sensing a new evil power. "Our fight awoke him. We've got to go and handle this, Vegeta."

The prince did not reply.

"We _must_ go," Goku insisted. "We can finish our fight later, but this thing is going to destroy the Earth you know!"

Vegeta remained silent for a short while: when he opened his mouth, he had made his decision.

"Right," he said, taking one step forward his rival. "Gimme one of those Senzu Beans, we'll have to be at full power if we want a chance."

Goku smiled.

"Geez, thanks - you scared me, you know? I thought you were really-"

The hero would never finish that sentence: Vegeta's elbow cut his breathing and sent stars dancing in front of his eyes. Clutching at his stomach, Goku fell on the rocky ground, the Senzu Beans bag rolling off his other hand. Without a single word, Vegeta took the bag, swallowed one green bean, and took flight towards Majin Buu's energy.

* * *

"Aw, man," Goten whimpered, hiding himself behind the rocks again. "I can't stand it..."

Trunks' small and white fist was shaking.

"We go down there," he said firmly.  
"What?" his friend asked. "Are you _insane_, this thing's beating your dad up!"  
"I've noticed, thank you very much!" he snapped.  
"B-but I meant... if your father... then we don't stand a chance!"  
"Aw, come on Goten!"

He stood up.

"There's two of us. Three if you count my dad. That thing won't know what's happening."  
"But we'll get in troubles - my mom will be mad!"  
"Dah, whatever. Do as you wish, but I'm going."

With these words, he darted in the air.

"Hey, wait - I didn't mean to - WAIT!" Goten yelled, following him as he flew quickly towards Vegeta and Majin Buu.

Their combined kick threw the pink monster pretty far away. Without losing one second, Trunks started to get rid of the thick, pink ribbon wrapping his father - or at least he tried.

"Come on, dad," he said. "You've got to wake up, this thing's gonna come back!"  
"Do you think he's still alive?" Goten asked shyly.

Trunks glanced at him over his shoulder and gave him his most deadly glare.

"Of course! My dad's the strongest guy in the Universe!"  
"Yeah, but he got beaten up pretty badly..."

The other boy's angry blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Listen, Goten," he said, rather annoyed. "Do you know what my mom told me once? She told me that my dad used to be the prince off all Saiyans!"  
"Your dad's a prince? Aw, man, that's so cool..."  
"Yeah, he is! So he can't be dead, you hear me? Princes are tougher than that, princes don't _die_ like that!" Trunks shouted, tears coming up his eyes as he shook his father's motionless body.

_I can't die like that_.

"Come on, wake up!"

_Princes don't die like that._

"Please, hurry up, it's gonna come back!"

_Princes... are tougher than that_.

"DAD, FOR THE LOVE OF-"

Vegeta's eyes opened at once: surprised, Trunks moved back and fell on his butt in the dirt.

"Dad!"

Vegeta blasted Buu's "skin" away from his body with his energy and got on his feet.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked roughly.  
"Weeeell," Trunks replied, scratching his head, "That's kind of a long story..."  
"Buuuuuu!" a pitchy voice said from afar, sending chills down Vegeta's spine.  
"Majin Buu's coming back. You two would be wise to leave now."  
"No," Trunks said, "We'll fight with you!"  
"Yeah!"  
"Don't be ridiculous. You may be strong for your age, but you're still _children_. Go now," he ordered, starting to walk away.

He stopped after one or two steps.

"Trunks..."

He glanced at his on over his shoulder.

"I want you to take care of your mother. Will you?"

Trunks blinked several times.

"Take care of mom? Why? Are you doing somewhere?"

_Yes, son. Down in Hell again_.

Vegeta's head lowered a little. He'd never... he couldn't just...

"Trunks, you are my only son... and yet, I haven't held you once since you were a baby, have I?" he finally said, with a voice that was much softer than usual.

Trunks blinked again as his father turned to face him, slightly opening his arms.

"Come here," he said, getting closer to the boy.  
"Dad, what's up with you?" Trunks asked as Vegeta closed his arms around him. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Vegeta did not speak, nor did he move one single muscle.

"Dad, come on," Trunks continued, blushing. "Aw, man, this is getting embarrassing..."

The prince closed his eyes for a very short moment: he wished his son would understand what was going on and appreciate this moment as much as he did. But if he explained him, then he wouldn't leave, and Majin Buu would kill him. He had been foolish enough to allow this thing to come out its egg: he would deal with it alone and, more importantly, make sure that his family was safe.

"Trunks, you must know..."

He looked down at him and gave him a small, subtle smile.

"You've made me proud, my son."

Trunks' eyes barely had the time to widened before Vegeta could do the hardest thing he had ever done: knocking out his own child.

"HEY!" Goten yelled, outraged. "Why did you do that?! What's wrong with you, why did you do that to Trunks? You might've killed him, who are you, are you crazy? WHY?"

He seized the Saiyan's waist and started to shake him, tears coming up his green eyes as he kept on yelling:

"Why did you do that? Tell me, why did you do that to Trunks?"

He started to give him small punches. His shouted words, however, hurt the prince much more than his tiny fists:

"You're his _dad_, dads aren't supposed to do bad things to their sons! Why did you hit him, why did you hurt him like that? Why, _why?_"

_If only you knew, kiddo... it's the first and last time in my life I've ever acted like a true father_.

With one punch to the stomach, Goten fell on the ground too. Few seconds later, Piccolo landed gracefully between the uncouncious boys.

"Take them as far away as you can," Vegeta ordered to the Namek.  
"Of course."

Piccolo carefully took the two children in his arms as Vegeta walked away.

"Hurry," Vegeta pressed him.

Piccolo started at him in silence for a short while.

"You'll die, you know?" he said.

Vegeta didn't reply. Of course he knew it. But, having seen Buu's power, he had no other option left.

"Just tell me... will I meet that clown Kakarot in the other world?"  
"I'm not going to lie to you, Vegeta, although you might not like the truth," Piccolo replied. "Goku devoted his entire life to helping and protecting the others. Because of that, when he died, he was allowed to keep his body and travel to King Kai's planet. You, on the other hand, have devoted your life pursuing nothing but your own selfish desires. You've caused too much pain: when you die, you will not receive the same reward."

The prince nodded one time and closed his eyes for a short moment.

"Oh well," he said. "So be it."

He looked at Majin Buu approaching awkwardly, yet dangerously.

"That'll be all. Get out of here with them while you can."

Without any more word, Piccolo took flight.

"You stay!" Majin Buu said happily. "You fight Buu!"  
"YES!" Vegeta replied with all his anger and hatred. "That's right, I'll fight you! Got it?!"  
"Me no like you! Buu angry!"

Vegeta smirked as steam went out Buu's holes.

"You talk mean to Buu! Me make you hurt bad! Me want fight!"  
"I think I finally understand you - let's go!"

The prince took a deep breath before allowing the energy to flow freeling and wildly through his veins: now, there was no turning back. All he hoped was that Piccolo and the children were far enough now.

_Fly as fast as you can, Namek. This is gonna be one hell of a blast_.

He was surrounded by a golden light, more brilliant than ever: sand and dirt flew around him like a tornado, and yet Majin Buu did nothing but stare at him with the utmost interest.

"I'll make you chocolate!"

Vegeta laughed. How could such a stupid creature be so powerful? That was absurd!

"You are a fool. _I_'m going to crush _you_ - and throw you into the wind!"

Bulma's face appeared before his eyes: he truly hoped she hadn't seen him killing those people at the tournament.

_Trunks, Bulma... I'm doing this for you. And yes... yes, even for you... Kakarot_.

He was ready now, ready to crush that _thing_. The Saiyan prince had had very little control over his own life in the past.

This day, however... he had full control over his death.

**End of the chapter: **MY VEGETAAAAAAAAA! All right that's Bulma's Vegeta ^^' aww, damn, do I love this episod, I hope I did it as good as it is meant to be :D


	35. Vegeta's Judgment

**Chapter 35: Vegeta's Judgment**

"Videl, really - how could you let them go like that?! You could at LEAST have stopped Goten and Trunks, they're not even ten years old yet, they can't go like that fighting a monster!"  
"I'm sorry, Chichi," the teenage girl replied, bobbing down. "I just... they told me they were going to fight that Majin Buu-whatever, and then before I could even realise it, they were gone. I-I know I shouldn't have-"  
"Don't sweat it, Videl," Yamcha said on a comforting tone.

Smiling gently, he turned to look at her.

"If they truly wanted to go after Buu, there's nothing you could've done - trust me, trying to stop them is like trying to hold water in your hands. No matter how much you try, it's gonna slip away anyway. They're Sai... erm... they have very stubborn fathers."

There was a heavy shock as they started going down, since Yamcha had stopped watching where they were going: Chichi, Videl and Bulma screamed in fear, holding themselves to whatever they could as he grabbed the controls again.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

The little Marron started to cry in her mother's arms, and 18 shot Yamcha a very threatening glare as she held her daughter with the utmost care against her chest to protect her.

"Stop it, you _dork_, you're making her cry! You'd better make this thing fly straight right _now_, or else I'll kick your ass!"

Yamcha swallowed hard, still struggling to get them out of this mess. For a cyborg who had forgotten that she used to be a human, she was incredibly protective of her only child.

And she was super tough, too. She had once beaten the _hell_ out of Vegeta, and Yamcha's stomach still remembered how overpowered himself had been by the mighty prince. If there was a person in this jet that he didn't want to get angry at him, that was surely the beautiful blonde.

"I'm doing my best!" he assured her as he honestly started to worry for his own safety.  
"Well then do it _better!_"

Quite miraculously, Yamcha finally managed to save both Bulma's jet and his own butt.

"Phew," he sighed with relief. "Anyway, don't you worry about that, Chichi. These kids are tough, and if something happens to them, we can use the Dragon Balls to-"  
"Well _excuse us_, Yamcha," Bulma said harshly, speaking for the first time in quite a while, "If we don't want our _sons_ to be murdered by some ugly and horrible creature just because they can be wished back!"  
"B-but, I only said... of course we don't want anything bad to happen to them, but if that happens, then it's no big deal after all-"  
"No big deal?" she yelled. "Oh well, _perfectly!_ So you won't mind if I kill _you_, then?!!"

For his sake, Yamcha decided to keep his mouth shut, and Bulma leaned back in her seat, starting to bit her perfectly manucured nails. Perhaps she shouldn't have shouted at him like that, but she had been under a lot of pressure lately, and had endured far more than she could take without freaking out. First, Vegeta had apparently gone crazy and had killed dozens of people without any reason, and now her only son was after some unknown, evil and powerful beast. She had obviously lost her husband to some evil force, and maybe she was going to lose her son ontop of it.

This was what she called one hell of a long day, and the mess didn't seem as though it was going to end soon.

_Vegeta, how could you be so cruel? What has happened to you?_

Bulma had been watching over and over again the horrible scene in her head ever since they had left the Stadium, but she was still unable to figure out what had truly happened. It was as if he had gone back in time, becoming that cold and ruthless warrior again. But, if it was true... then what had happened to the man she loved? Was he gone for good? A tear rolled down on her cheek at this terrible thought.

_What if..._

"Hey, guys," Yamcha's voice suddenly said, "Look at this!"

Bulma's head barely lifted and she gazed at the horizon with indifference: there was an odd golden light coming from afar.

_Odd... yet familiar_.

"It's beautiful, I wonder what - WOOOOOH!"

He lost control yet again when the Capsule Corp Jet met with turbulences of an incredible intensity. Videl fell on the floor, Chichi winced as she hit her head on the wall, and Marron started to cry again, causing her mother's fury to burst again.

"Hey, what did I _just_ tell you about that?! Stop fucking around and making my daughter cry, or I swear -"  
"I'M DOING MY BEST, ALL RIGHT?" Yamcha yelled. "But this is - what kind of turbulence is that, for the love -"

He was struggling to keep the jet straight in the turbulences. Bulma, however, did not panic like the others: she was frozen on her seat. It was just like all the confusion around her did not even exist.

"Holy - aw, thank you so much, 18 -"

A violent slap was heard in the back of the jet.

"Get your damn face out of my breasts, dirty old man!"  
"But I was merely thanking-"

Bulma closed her sapphire eyes.

It felt as if every wave of turbulence hitting her jet was a new knife stabbed in her heart: it hurt her so badly that her shaking hand clutched on her chest in an attempt to ease the pain. The mark under her scarf was burning, too, and she bit her bottom lip.

The final wave was different: although it had the same effect on the jet than the others, to Bulma, it was not another knife in her heart, but a soft caress on her cheeks, a tender kiss on her lips.

It was a farewell.

_Vegeta... no..._

A tear rolled down her pale cheek.

* * *

Vegeta was tapping his foot on the floor, his arms crossed and his dark eyes throwing knives to whoever passed by. It was annoying enough that he had just died, why in the _world_ did he have to be in a goddamn queue? He had to admit that this could be worse, though: the first time he had died, he had found himself waiting among all the Nameks that had died on their planet, including the villagers he had killed himself.

Pretty awkward moment.

And, truly, what did he have to take the queue anyway? He had died before, he had already been judged: why didn't they send him straight to Hell? He sighed. Hell... this wasn't a pleasant place to be - well, it was called "Hell" for a reason, after all. He hated that he had to go back there, and this time for good. Nevertheless, he did not regret his action whatsoever: thanks to him, Majin Buu had been killed. Bulma and Trunks would be allowed to have the peaceful life they deserved.

Perhaps they would ever be better off without them.

Finally, he was facing King Yemma.

Well, this shouldn't be long. He'd just glance up at him from his enormous book, say "Hell!" and Vegeta would go down again. Well, at least, this time around, Hell would be slightly better: surely Frieza was there.

Well, he could now spend the eternity beating the shit out of that bastard. This should keep him entertained for at least a few centuries.

"Well, well," King Yemma said behind his huge desk. "Prince Vegeta, we meet again."  
"I can't honestly say I'm pleased," Vegeta replied, rather grumpy.

Death often had this consequence on people.

"I suppose," Yemma admitted. "Well, let's see, what has happened to you this time around..."

He glanced down at his book, then arched an eyebrow.

"Sacrificed himself in an attempt to destroy Majin Buu," he read.

Had Vegeta's heart still been beating, it would've stopped right now.

"What in the world are you ranting about?" he snapped. "An _attempt?_ You mean I _crushed_ that oversized ball of chewing-gum!"  
"No, Vegeta, I'm afraid you haven't," Yemma replied, seeming honestly sad.  
"What? But... but I... I blasted him with all my energy! I gave up everything, every tiny part of vital energy, to make sure I would destroy him forever!"  
"And this was a very good try, and a very brave action, but it did not work. He reformed his body."

Vegeta's hand closed into a tight fist. There was absolutely no word to describe his frustration: he had sacrificed himself so his wife and son could be safe, but this had been in vain? So... so instead of protecting them, he had put them even more in danger! Soon, Kakarot's time on Earth would be over, and Earth would be left with no one but their sons, the Namek, that bunch of weaklings and perhaps the android as a defence against Buu's horrific power.

Earth was done for.

"Oh well," Vegeta said harshly. "Why am I still here anyway? Just send me back in Hell, Frieza's face is waiting for a punch."  
"Hell?" King Yemma repeated.  
"Yeah, Hell," the prince continued, very irritated. " Were the bad guys go. What, do I have to explain you your own job?!"

Though unpleased by the Saiyan's hard words, King Yemma bent over his desk to look at him right into the eyes.

"Vegeta," he said after a moment of silence. "Heroes don't go to Hell."  
"What the -"

Vegeta blinked several times. He couldn't _possibly_ mean...

"But I... I failed!"  
"The end does not matter in that case: only the intention does. I do not have the arrogant and cruel prince of Saiyans in front of me this time around: I have a proud warrior who gave up his own life in hopes of saving the ones he loved from a terrible death."

He nodded to a very dumbfounded man standing before him.

"An action of pure selflessness," he concluded.

A subtle smile formed on Yemma's lips.

"You've atoned, prince Vegeta."

* * *

"How are we going to tell them?" Goku whispered to Piccolo.

He wished they could speak about that somewhere else away from the others' eyes, but there was not much place to hide in Kami's lookout.

"We? What 'we'? Emotions are your departement," the Namek replied in a murmur.  
"Oh, come on, don't make this any harder - besides, you were there when Vegeta -"  
"Hey, Goku," Chichi's voice interrupted him.

She was walking towards him with Bulma. He swallowed hard: this would need improvisation.

"Where on Earth are Gohan and Goten?"  
"And Trunks a-and... Vegeta?" Bulma added.  
"Well, you see," Goku started.

He scratched his head and looked down at his feet. _How do I put this?_ How was he supposed to say that? How do you tell your wife that her firstborn is dead, how do you tell your friend that her husband shared the same fate?

"I - they - erm -"

He took a deep breath. Clearly, Piccolo was not going to help.

"Goten and Trunks are fine," he said. "They need to rest, but they'll be all right."  
"Why do they need to rest?" Chichi asked. "Oh, my poor little baby, he got hurt fighting this horrible thing -"  
"No, no, Trunks and Goten didn't fight Buu. They... they were knocked out by Vegeta."  
"WHAT! THAT SON OF A FUCKING _BITCH!_ I'M GONNA TEAR OFF HIS-"  
"Chichi, calm down please -"  
"Tear off his _what?_" Bulma asked rather coldly.  
"I'm going to fucking kill him!"  
"But, Chichi -" Goku tried to say.  
"IF YOU LAY A SINGLE FINGER ON MY HUSBAND, I'LL THROW YOU DOWN THIS PLACE!"  
"QUIET!" Piccolo's voice yelled.

The two women shut up at once, glaring at the Namek warrior.

"Phew. Thanks, Piccolo. Chichi, Bulma, please, listen... Gohan and Vegeta..."

He bobbed down.

"They died."

Bulma remained motionless: Chichi, however, burst into tears.

"Oh, no, no, not my poor little -"  
"No," Videl said, putting her hands on Chichi's shoulders. "Gohan is not dead."

She smiled very kindly to her.

"I can feel it," she said.  
"But Vegeta is," Bulma said with an incredibly neutral voice. "I can feel that, too."

She shook her head.

"Good for him," she uttered under her breath before walking away.

Goku was about to follow her, but Piccolo stopped him.

"No," he said. "Take care of Chichi. I'll handle Bulma."  
"I thought emotions wasn't your department."  
"Well, I guess sometimes you just have to show some flexibility," he replied before following the blue-haired woman.

She was sitting on the floor, few meters away from the others. Piccolo expected her to cry, or at least to have tears in her eyes, but she seemed awfully calm.

"There is something you need to know," he said.  
"You mean, besides the fact that he slaught innocent people and knocked out our son?" she snapped.  
"Yes, besides that."

Her sapphires glanced up at the Namek in curiosity.

"Vegeta knocked out Trunks and Goten because they wanted to fight Majin Buu with him. He did that so I could bring them here, where they would be safe from Buu... and Vegeta's explosion."  
"You mean this explosion I felt earlier... it was him?"

Piccolo stared at her right into the eyes.

"Your husband gave up his life so you and your son could be happy and safe."

He cleared his throat and looked away.

"I just... thought you ought to know," he finished rather awkwardly before leaving her alone.

Bulma bit her bottom lip and looked up at the sky.

_I'm sorry I doubted you, Vegeta_...

**End of the chapter:** *massages her neck and yawns* you know, I should be sleeping now. Lol. Anyway, I hope you like this new update :D and, for those who disagree about Vegeta's judgment, I have elements to back my theory ya know :)


	36. A Second Chance

**Chapter 36: A Second Chance**

_"Baba," King Yemma said, looking awfully worried - and tired - behind his desk. "Go and get Prince Vegeta."_  
_"Still, Vegeta isn't more powerful than Buu!"_  
_"Perhaps he is not, but he is indeed the strongest warrior we have here. We must take this chance! Vegeta is our last option!"_  
_"You put your money on that hot-headed, thick-headed arrogant prince?" she asked, rolling her eyes._  
_"Yes," he immediately replied._

_The small witch upon her crystal ball frowned and did not move._

_"Prince Vegeta? That arrogant dork who's been shouting in rage and training non-stop ever since he was told that Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan 3 during his death? What for, if I may ask?"_

_King Yemma sighed heavily and pointed the queue in his office and outside. Never, ever, had it been so long._

_"As you can see, I am having quite a busy day. Buu killed almost everybody on Earth, and when he's done with this planet, he'll go for the other ones. This monster has no limits, it is the pure incarnation of Evil itself! It must be stopped!"_

_Baba's eyes narrowed._

_"May I remind you very politely that Vegeta has already failed to defeat that thing when it was weaker than that?"_  
_"Perhaps, but as a Saiyan, Vegeta, too, grew stronger since that fight. Moreover, you can't really say that Buu defeated Vegeta," Yemma objected. "Vegeta killed himself in an attempt to take down Majin Buu."_

_She scoffed._

_"You do realise, of course, that if Vegeta is defeated, he will not exist anymore!"_  
_"I will tell him, of course," King Yemma said. "But... I'm quite sure he won't mind."_

And, of _course_, Vegeta had accepted. There was absolutely no way that the mighty prince would refuse to have a second shot at taking this monster down. It had been the easiest thing King Yemma had ever done: all he had to do was to pronounce a magic sentence. "Vegeta, how would you like a second chance at defeating Majin Buu?" Vegeta had immediately agreed - blasting half of Yemma's office in the process. King Yemma tried, of course, to explain him that should he meet death again at the hands of Buu, he would no longer exist and it would be impossible to bring him back, even with the powerful Dragon Balls. Vegeta did not care: he had asked to be brought back on Earth immediately.

Now, as Yemma looked at the screen, he felt hope again: Goku had just appeared next to Vegeta.

_Well... perhaps Earth does have a chance with those two._

* * *

Goku had never felt so helpless.

"Ten seconds," Buu said cunningly. "I'll allow you ten seconds to find a partner - if you do not, our fight shall go on."

Goku swallowed hard: all right, all right, but not matter how long Majin Buu would give him, he still had very little choice: with only Dende and Satan left, Earth was done for. He took one deep breath: Dende had no martial arts experience at all, and his small size could be a huge disavantage. Furthermore, it was a permanent fusion, and even in such a desperating situation, Goku wasn't so keen on finishing his days half-Namek, half-Saiyan.

He was not Vegeta, but still, he, too, had his pride.

And then there was Mr. Satan... but, if he fused with him, would he end up being as goofy and ignorant of the energies than him? Moreover, would he truly end up stronger, considering how weaker Satan was comparing to him? Well... he was still a fighter.

"Threeeeeeee!"

He was truly his last option.

"Hey, Satan!" he said, catching up his attention.  
"TWOOO!"  
"CATCH!"

Goku lifted his arm, ready to throw the earring at the so-called champion. As he did so, however, his mind felt something. It was like a sudden flash of brilliant golden light in a sea of darkness, a powerful twitch in his stomach. Eletricity ran down his spine, and his heart started to beat so fast that he could actually hear it: could it truly be? This energy was extremely powerful and very familiar, but it wasn't meant to be there at all.

_Please let it be true_.

Goku closed his eyes, touched his forehead, and disappeared.

When he opened his dark eyes, he was overwhelmed by a flow of the purest relief one could ever feel: despair disappeared and was replaced by a powerful hope.

"Kakarot?" a rough voice said.  
"Vegeta, oh my GOD!"

Goku, despite the tight situation, smiled widely. He had never been happier to see _anyone_.

"Vegeta, really, you won't believe me, but... boy, am I _glad_ to see you!"

He showed him his opened hand, where the earring laid.

"Quickly, put this on," he urged. "We're far from Buu but it won't take long before he-"  
"What for?" Vegeta asked harshly.  
"What?"  
"Kakarot, do you really think that this is the right time to be offering me dorky jewellery?!"  
"What? No, it's magic - I have one, see? If you wear that one, we can fuse together!"

The prince snorted.

"Why would I want to fuse with you?"

Goku blinked several times.

"But... don't you want to defeat Buu?"  
"No, I was just wandering around - I forgot my toothbrush back home when I died, and Yemma was nice enough to allow me to get it back."  
"Uh?"

Vegeta blinked.

"OF COURSE I'M HERE TO CRUSH THAT THING!" Vegeta shouted. "But I don't need your help, especially not in a fusion - I can do it alone, thank you _very_ much!"  
"Are you crazy?" Goku replied. "You can't! You can't defeat him alone, I can't defeat him alone - I need your help Vegeta, please, you must-"

The prince's dark eyes narrowed into two slits.

"My help? _My help?_ You have some _nerves_, Kakarot! Asking me for help after what you've done - no words can ever get close to describe the offence -"  
"Offence?" Goku cut him. "What are you talking about?"  
"DON'T PLAY FUCKING DUMB WITH ME, KAKAROT!"

Goku winced - if Buu didn't get to them through their energies, he would surely hear Vegeta's screams.

"I've travelled to the Other World too, you know!" he continued, eyes throwing knives at his rival. "I know about your Super Saiyan 3 transformation!"  
"Oh, _that_-"  
"Yes! Yes, _that!_ You've kept that from me, you didn't use it when we fought!"  
"So what? What's the deal?"  
"What's the deal?" Vegeta scowled. "The _deal_ is, you held back against me, while I gave you_ everything_ I had! Thought I couldn't handle it, perhaps? You've _lied_ to me, Kakarot, and made me believe I could finally beat you! Never in my life have I been so humiliated -"  
"But, really, Vegeta," Goku insisted. "Buu's coming, forget about that, we must-"  
"Easy for you to order me to forget that - and don't order me around,_ I _am the prince!"

For the first time, Goku truly felt mad at Vegeta. How could he be so stubborn and childish when the fate of the Universe was on their shoulders?

"Listen, Vegeta," he said very firmly, "We truly have no time for this! Buu... he's got everybody, all right?!"

_Everybody?_

"He absorbed everyone we care about," the other Saiyan continued.

A knife into Vegeta's heart.

"Chichi, Goten - Trunks, even _Bulma!_" he said, praying that his son and wife's names would convince his old rival.

Two other knives. Vegeta's fist closed tightly.

"They're all gone now, don't you get it? And they can't even _die_ properly because... they're part of that thing!"

Vegeta closed his eyes very tightly. He had given up his life hoping that both of them would be safe... and he had failed. That thing had absorbed the two people he had ever cared about. He had his wife, his _woman,_ the only one that could stand next to him as his equal, the one that had touched his heart of stone and changed it into a heart of flesh, the one who bore his royal heir years ago.

_Bulma_.

He had lost. He wanted her to be safe, and had lost. Never again would she dig her hands into his hair, never again would she press her body against his and moan his name, never again would she smile or laugh. Never again would her cerulean eyes flash with anger when he called her "woman", never again would she hug their son and tell him the tales of his father before putting him to sleep.

_I'm sorry_.

Had he not been so great at putting on this cold mask, he would've cried right there, right now, if front of Kakarot. He swallowed hard - both his saliva and his pride - and opened his eyes.

"All right, Kakarot," he said in a low voice. "Give it to me."

Goku smiled and dropped the jewel in Vegeta's gloved hand.

_When it's done, I promise, I'll wish you back_.

"Oh, one last thing," Goku said.

Vegeta glanced up at him, and he grimaced.

"It's a... it's a permanent fusion."

The prince's eyes widened: so after that... he wouldn't exist anymore? He would never be with Bulma ever again... but, after all, he was dead now. He wouldn't be with her no matter what. Being trapped forever with his rival, sharing his body...

But Bulma would be happy and safe. She'd smile, laugh, and play with their son. Perhaps she would even keep on telling him about his father's life as a warrior. Nothing else was important to Vegeta's eyes right now.

"Kakarot, you _idiot_," he said, rolling his eyes as he was about to put the earring. "Don't you think you could've said so before?"

Nonetheless, he put on the earring: and he stopped existing.

* * *

Vegeta took one deep breath. They were overpowered by Buu: for a split second, he almost regretted that he had destroyed the earrings. Buu was better in everything: he was stronger, faster, and more endurant. He could even reform his body even when blasted off - he had to be destroyed, atom by atom, but they were clearly not strong enough to do that.

_We lost._

_No._

He shook his head. _Come on_. If they couldn't beat him using brute strength, then they would do it with their minds: Kakarot was surely not the smartest cookie in the jar, but Vegeta himself, on the other hand, had always been recognised for fighting with both his mind and body. Most Saiyans were all muscles, like Nappa: Vegeta, however, had received a surprisingly clever brain. As a child prince, he had also been taught battle strategy.

Buu couldn't be beaten face to face, but surely he could be outsmarted.

"Dende!" he said.  
"Yes?" the young Namek replied in his mind.  
"Dende, I have a plan, but I will need you. It's crazy but it's gonna work."  
"Whatever you have in mind must be tried."  
"Go to your people's new planet and gather their Dragon Balls. Now!"  
"Gotcha."

_Yes. Yes, yes, this is going to work_, the prince thought, staring at his rival as he fought Buu. If Dended spoke his wishes exactly like he asked, this was going to work.

"Kakarot! I have a plan!"  
"Hope it's a good one-" Goku managed to say before being thrown on the ground.

_Better than anything you could ever come off with_.

"Vegeta? Vegeta, I have the Dragon Balls now! Porunga is waiting for your wishes!" Dende said.

The Saiyan smirked.

"All right. Here is my first wish: I want the planet Earth to be restored the way it was before Majin Buu destroyed it!"  
"Ok."

After about thirty seconds, the teenage Namek's voice rose again:

"Porunga says it's done! What's your second wish?"  
"Listen carefully now: I want everybody that died since the beginning of the World Tournament to be brought back to life, _except_ for the evil ones!"  
"Erm... ok."

Vegeta sighed.

"Wait, no! I can't! We Nameks don't believe in bringing back people to life - our Dragon Balls can revive only one person per wish!"

The prince's eyes widened: what?! What kind of lame Dragon Balls were those?!

"No, no, sorry, my bad - they can now!"  
"Dork," Vegeta mumbled.

There was a moment of silence, and then Vegeta felt like a terribly heavy weight had been taken away from his chest. Before Dende's confirmation, he already knew: it had worked.

Bulma had been wished back to life - he_ knew_ it.

* * *

Bulma frowned, looking hesitantly around her.

"What..." Chichi started. "What are we... I mean, weren't we-"  
"Dead, yeah," Videl said. "This... is weird. I have legs now."

Her eyes widened.

"Hey, we're alive!"

Bulma frowned even more.

"But... how's that possible?" Satan's daughter asked.  
"The Dragon Balls," Bulma understood. "We've been wished back... but how? Who could've-"  
"_People of the Earth_."

Her entire body trembled at the sound of this voice in her mind, and tears came up her beautiful eyes.

"Vegeta," she whispered, her hand covering her mouth. "That's... that's him! How - he _died_..."  
"You can't kill those Saiyans," Chichi joked.  
"Raise your hand to the sky," Vegeta's voice said, "And allow us to use your energy to destroy that monster forever!"  
"What is he saying?" Videl asked.  
"Whatever plan he has in mind," Bulma said, "It must be a good one."

Without any hesitation, she did exactly as her husband had asked: Yamcha, Krillin, 18, Chichi, Videl, and even Marron did just like her.

"He's taking our energy," Krillin commented after lowering his hand. "I smell a Spirit Bomb coming right for Buu's ass."

Bulma frowned a little.

"But Vegeta _can't_ do a Spirit Bomb," she objected.  
"Goku can," Yamcha said. "Vegeta said a _group_ of warriors has taken the fight on your behalf... which means he isn't alone."  
"Goku's time on Earth has expired."  
"But we're there - maybe he was wished back, too," Chichi said, hope sparkling in her eyes.  
"_People of the Earth, this is not a joke! Raise your hands to the sky now, or else the whole Universe is done for!_"

This time, the prince's voice showed that he was getting frustrated.

"We heard that already," Yamcha said. "Why is he-"  
"Because people aren't listening," Krillin understood. "Except for us, and Piccolo and the others if they are alive too... nobody must've listened to him."  
"What a bunch of fucking idiots-" Bulma started.  
"We can't blame them," he replied. "Imagine, you hear a voice ordering you to raise your hand to the sky, and you don't know the guy. You think this is a freaking massive joke or something."  
"_People of the Earth_," Vegeta's voice spoke again, much softer this time. "_**Please**. I **beg** of you - we need your help. Don't let Majin Buu win, don't let him have your life again, and your **children's!**_"

Bulma's heart sank: never had she heard her husband like that. The whole planet litterally had a prince to his knees for them, and they couldn't even realise it.

"Did he say..." Krillin started.  
"Please?" Yamcha ended.

* * *

"Vegeta," Goku said with a hint of despair in his voice. "I'm not getting any more energy!"  
"The Hell with it!" Vegeta scowled. "Who would've thought - I came up with the only way to defeat that thing, I'm giving them a way out of this mess on a fucking silver platter, and yet they can't even raise their goddamn hands - well, screw them."

He scoffed and crossed his arms as Goku too did an attempt to convince the Earthlings. Surprisingly, it worked: the Spirit Bomb grew bigger. Apparently, the clown was more popular than the prince, but this still was not enough.

_Popular._

"Damn, Vegeta - I really need more energy!"

Vegeta quickly turned at Mr. Satan, who was hiding himself behind a huge rock.

"YOU!" he said, pointing him. "You talk to them!"

He seized the champion's shoulders.

"They're _your_ goddamn people, they workship you like a freaking _God_ - you tell them to raise their hands to the sky before it's too late!"  
"But-"  
"NOW!" Vegeta ordered.

Vegeta mentally crossed his fingers as Satan did his attempt to convince the Earth: he was truly their last chance.

Yes, they had stepped incredibly _low_ to be putting their hopes on that prick.

"It's - wow - it's working, Vegeta!"

The prince smiled. Finally, a way out of this fucking mess.

"Hey, Buu - CATCH!"

Goku threw the huge Spirit Bomb towards the villain: but... but... the thing _actually_ catched it! He was struggling, but... he managed to hold it _back!_

"Is there no limit to this thing's power?" he asked for himself.

They had gathered all the energy they could: how would they do, now?

_Think, think!_

Then, it occured to him as he laid his eyes on Kakarot: he was exhausted - the Super Saiyan 3 transformation had eaten up a lot of his energy. _But_ if it could be restored...

"DENDE!"  
"Ow, don't yell-"  
"Dende, is the Dragon still waiting?"  
"Y-yes... and he's quite impatient, glaring at me with those red-"  
"I don't care - I've found a third wish! I want Kakarot's energy to be brought back to its maximum! NOW!" he ordered.  
"Porunga says it's done," he announced about ten seconds later.

But Vegeta could already tell: Kakarot was glowing brighter than ever. He could even see him smile. The prince fell on his knees, unable to take his dark eyes away from the bright like that destroyed every cell in Buu's body: he felt the evil energy progressively disappearing.

He had done it.

He had saved Bulma.

**End of the chapter:** There you gooo ^^ I kinda cut a lot of stuff (mostly, fighting) because it's amazing to watch in an anime, but boring to write ^^ I hope you won't mind and still liked it!


	37. Long ago

**Chapter 37: Long ago**

"GOKU! Oh, Goku-"

Kakarot's woman burst into tears into her clown's arms.

"Hey, Chichi, it's all right, I'm ok - look, I'm not even dead anymore..."

He hugged her tightly.

"Gosh," he commented, "Did you _even_ cry that much when I died?"  
"Trunks!"

Vegeta's body froze at the sound of Bulma's voice: he slowly turned, just in time to see her taking her son in her arms, kissing his cheeks, forehead, arms, and whatever skin she could reach on her dear child's body.

"Mom, this is embarrassing-" he said, blushing just like he had done when Vegeta had hugged him before dying.

Bulma's blue eyes met with her husband's dark ones, but he immediately looked away. She had seen him murdering dozens of innocent people: surely she didn't want him near them anymore now. He took one step backward.

"Vegeta," she whispered.

Her sapphire and watery eyes begged him to stay, sending chills down his spine. But... he had screwed up like never before, he had given in to his darker side and purposely pushed her away only for the sake of getting more powerful than his rival. How could she even _think_-?

"Dad!"

Trunks - who apparently had far less self-control and inner duality than his two parents - left his mother's arms to run at his father, wrapping his arms tightly around Vegeta's legs as soon as he reached him.

"Dad, you saved the _world_ - that was so freaking cool! Hey, you're alive! I can touch you and everything!"

Vegeta did nothing but giving him a small smile and put his hand - though awkwardly - ontop of his head. Glancing down at Trunks, he did not hear nor did he see Bulma approaching. His nose, however, caught that floral scent that drove him crazy, and his whole body shivered at the simple touch of her hands behind his neck.

"You still-" he started off hesitantly.  
"Forever," she replied, digging her fingers into his thick hair.

Vegeta closed his eyes and hugged him so tightly that she could hardly breath. She did not mind: she would rather die again than ask him to loosen his grip. He usually grimaced or complained at the sight of people showing off their affection, refusing to even hold her hand in public: today, however, the whole Universe could've been looking at them, he still would've given her that burning kiss.

"Ewwww, Geez-" Trunks said, walking away to meet with Goten, who was also standing a few meters away from his parents', erm, warm reunion, with a disgusted look on his innocent face.

He was _alive_. That freaking Porunga had somehow hit his head, classified him as a good person, and brought him back to life. But, more importantly, _she_ was alive. Her hot and shallow breath on his skin proved it. Bulma's body started to shake in his arms: the Saiyan slowly opened his onyx eyes, moving his lips away from hers.

She was crying.

His arms left her waist, and he took one step backward.

_I knew it_.

"No!" she said, a hint of despair in her voice as her hands clutched on Vegeta's tore and dirty fighting attire. "_Don't_ - don't leave me -"  
"But you're crying," he said, apparently still completely clueless about female feelings. "I thought-"  
"Because I've missed you, you _idiot_ - I was told you were _dead_ and, and... now you're here, you're _alive_, a-and... just kiss me again," she begged.

To that, Vegeta was more than glad to obey.

* * *

They were all gathered in Bulma's house, sitting around a huge and well-deserved dinner. Goku, of course, couldn't help but to relate the fight, in his very... personal way.

"And then, Vegeta said 'You must do a Spirit Bomb', and I was like 'Gosh, Vegeta, this is never going to work'!" he said. "I mean, I really never expected - hey, can I have more of these spare ribs? They're awesome!"  
"Sure, Goku," Bulma said, rolling her beautiful eyes.

Goku put half of the spare ribs that were in the bowl on his plate before going on with his story:

"So, no one else than you guys would give me energy, and I was starting to freak out a little -"

Vegeta sighed heavily: there was only _one_ reason he was sitting at this table enduring Kakarot's lame skills as a story teller instead of being alone in his bedroom, alone in the Gravity Room, or alone _anywhere_ else than there: Bulma's hand, that he was holding tightly under the table. He had lost her for what had seemed like an eternity, he wasn't going to let her go again anytime soon.

"And then, Porunga gave me back my energy and _wooooshhhh!_ The Spirit Bomb crushed Buu like nothing!"

Still... Kakarot was such an imbecile sometimes. All right, they had saved the world.

Big fucking deal.

"You know, I think I'm gonna go check something in the kitchen - Vegeta, would you give me a hand?" Bulma asked quite innocently.  
"Uh? What do you think, I'm not your goddamn-" he started, but then he met her sly and playful eyes. "Oh. Yeah. Sure."

The two of them left the table, and Krillin rolled his eyes.

"Give her a hand, yeah sure," he said, smirking. "Vegeta being of any help in a kitchen - I'm gonna believe that."  
"Krillin, I'm eating," Yamcha complained. "Just lemme believe what she said."  
"I bet she'll be the one to give _him_ a hand if you guys know what I - OW, don't kick me under the table! It's disloyal!"

* * *

Bulma had led Vegeta outside, behind a bunch of trees.

"Finally some silence," the prince said. "You'd think a guy who saved the world about ten times before would've gotten used to it."

The scientist smiled quietly, looking at the stars upon their heads. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh air of the night. Her smile grew bigger when she felt his arms wrapping around her thin waist and his chin resting on her shoulder.

"And what about you?" she asked dreamingly, still looking at the millions of stars shining in a sea of darkness.  
"Me?" Vegeta asked, frowning a little.  
"Yeah, you. How does it feel to be a hero?"

The prince froze at his wife's question.

"You ask Kakarot," he finally replied. "I couldn't tell."  
"Vegeta, you saved the world today," she objected softly. "Piccolo told me about your sacrifice against Buu, too. You _are_ a hero. Twice!"  
"I'm not," Vegeta said in a low voice, his hot lips brushing against Bulma's sensitive neck as he spoke.  
"Vegeta-"  
"A hero saves the world just for the hell of it," he continued, cutting her off in her sentence. "I..."

He bit his bottom lip. He was truly not the kind of person to share his feelings, but, still, words just flew out his mouth:

"What I did today... I did it for you. I did it selfishly. This world, _your_ world... I saved it for you and Trunks."  
"For me?" she repeated hesitantly.

He tightened his powerful arms around her stomach, nodding in silence. She was his mate, his wife, his queen: he had never heard anything more painful than Kakarot telling him that she had been absorbed by Majin Buu. Even Frieza's way of treating him seemed like Heaven comparing to imagining Bulma's death. Finding a way to wish her back and giving her the peaceful life she deserved had been the only thing that had allowed him to fight so fiercely, the only thing that had kept him going through this mess.

"Vegeta," Bulma said as she turned to face him. "I wanted to know... what happened? At the tournament, I mean..."

Vegeta had been expecting this question from the moment he had realised that his own wish had brought him back to life: the problem was, he still hadn't found a proper answer to give her.

"This is just how thick my head can be," he said, "And how blind my eyes can be."

She did not say anything, and he deeply, slowly inhalated her delicious scent. How on Earth could he ever think that she made him weak, how could he believe that this magnificent creature should be kicked out of his life only for power? Perhaps she indeed made him weaker than he used to be, perhaps Trunks indeed held him back by forcing him to go under softer trainings. But this was nothing. Her smile eased the pain of his horrible past, and he was more proud of his son that he'd ever be of_ himself_.

More power versus his family's safety?

Now that he had had a glimpse of his existence without his wife and son, he knew the answer to that question: his family.

_Hands down._

"Perhaps we should go back inside," she murmured. "They'll wonder-"  
"Let them wonder," he replied. "I'm not going back in there to hear Kakarot explaining the battle with the febrility of a teenage female Earthling."

She laughed, the happy and carefree sound of her voice caressing her husband's ears. His hand touched her soft cheek as he leaned his forehead against her: their gazes met, and she smiled to him.

She was so beautiful.

"Bulma..."

The sound of his own voice was quite distant to him. He felt his mouth as dry as a desert, and his heart beating awfully fast. _Look at yourself - are you a fifteen years old weakling or what? _He had sworn those words would never cross his lips, that his voice shall never speak those sounds. That no one's ears, not even a wife's or a child's, should ever be allowed to ear that from his mouth. And yet... at this very moment, behind those trees and under the stars, as his onyx eyes dove into her cerulean oceans, he felt as if he should've forgotten that vow done to himself so long ago.

She deserved those words. Never in his life of solitude had he imagined that one day, he would truly find someone worthy of this confession, but _she_ was. He kissed her deeply, leaning her back against the biggest tree as their tongues fought happily and fiercely. He slightly, softly moved back.

"I love you," he whispered.

Her sapphire eyes widened a little, and she bit her bottom lip: he could even see her chin shaking. Well, he had to admit that this had to be quite a shock. When she started to cry, however, Vegeta was again left completely unable to understand what was going on.

Weren't women supposed to be happy when you told them that?

She hugged him tighter than she had ever hugged him.

"Hey, what did I do wrong?!" he asked.  
"N-nothing-"  
"Then why on Earth are you _crying?_"

One day he'd _get_ to undertand her kind - one day. That might take a while though.

"Because _you... _I thought you'd never say it-"

* * *

"Damn, was I glad to see Vegeta," Goku sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I was really going to fuse with _Satan_, for Kami's sake!"

Yamcha laughed.

"Well, that would've given you one hell of a haircut."  
"Yeah, and to think that I _almost_ considered Dende... hey Piccolo! We could've been like half-brothers or something!"

He turned at the Namek, beaming, but frowned when he noticed that his cheeks were a deep shade of purple - the equivalent of blushing for his race.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Piccolo closed his eyes.

"You wouldn't believe what I can hear from here," he said.

_Damn sensitive ears_, he thought.

"What?" Goku questionned, curious.  
"I'll bet it's Bulma and Vegeta," Krillin said cunningly, as Piccolo's cheek turned even more purple.

_"Oh, Gohan, mmh... hey, it tickles!"_

"Krillin, _please_," Yamcha grunted.  
"Among other things," Piccolo mumbled, opening his eyes.

Thanks Kami, his eyes weren't as sharp as his ears. The last thing he needed was to actually be _seeing_ that.

"Vegeta and Bulma? Hey, now that we mention it, they've been in the kitchen forever - hey, wait, I don't even _sense_ them in there," Goku said naively. "They're outside, what are they doing? Are they talking?"

Krillin rolled his eyes.

"Goku, _really_. Sometimes, if I didn't know for a fact that you have a wife and _two_ sons, I'd think you're a freaking _virgin_ or something."

Goku blinked, then blushed - a _lot._

"Oh you mean-"

He scratched his the back of his head, grinning and laughing nervously.

"Nevermind!"

* * *

Vegeta brought Bulma's naked and panting body close to his, holding her extremely tightly, in a very possessive manner. His. She was _his_, forever. He ran his nose all the way down along her neck, where her perfume was the strongest. How he had missed that, how painful it had been to know that that floral scent would never reach his nose ever again, not even in memories, if Buu was allowed to win.

_Mine_.

He held her more closely, and she sighed with pleasure, leaning her head on his scarred torso and closing her eyes. She opened them again a few moments later, glancing up at her husband, whose fingers were softly playing with her short blue hair. Bulma smiled, streched her neck, and gave him a very tender kiss.

"I love you too... my prince."

Vegeta smiled, and kissed her back.

Life had definitely no flavour without her.

**End of the chapter:** Ok I went FLUFFY for that one :D I just thought Vegeta would have a moment of "weakness" after all he's been through with Buu and whatnot :P


	38. Once more, with screams

_Author's confession (not rant, I am NOT ranting! Well just a little): All right. I'll admit it, I was inspired with Buffy's musical episode "Once more, with feelings" for this chapter's title ^^_

**Chapter 38: Once more, with screams**

"Vegeta... what happened?"

He frowned: Kakarot, his woman, his stupid brats and their annoying friends had finally left to their respectives houses, Trunks had been put to bed by his mother, so they could _finally_ rest. Vegeta's mind had _barely_ had the time to start relaxing, when Bulma's question reached his ears.

"What do you mean?" he asked, although an incomfortable twitch in his stomach made him believe that he actually _knew_ what she meant.  
"I mean... the tournament, Babidi, Buu... those_ poor _people, your death..."

The prince's dark eyes stared at the ceiling upon them.

"What exactly have you been told by the others?"  
"A bit of everything, I guess," she sighed, rolling off to lay on her stomach and glance at him. "Yet it's not clear at all. I've been told by Piccolo that you willingly gave up your life in hopes of destroying Buu, but at the same _time_, I've been told by Goku that you fought him, which allowed Majin Buu to hatch, and of course, _I _saw you blasting them off at the stadium."  
"And what do you _want_ to know?"  
"Goku said," she continued, more exposing her thoughts than actually responding to him, "That you murdered those innocents and fought him under Babidi's control, but then, if you were _truly _under his control, then why would you fight and attempt to destroy his creature, why would you make sure that the boys were away from that place before you unleashed your attack? It doesn't make sense, Vegeta, it doesn't make sense at _all_."

That woman sure was disturbingly clever and sharp. How could he expect to get away with the evasive answer he had provided earlier? Had he at least truly believed that it would work, or had he just tried to fool himself yet another time?

"Which doesn't answer to my question," he stated. "_What_ do you _want_ to know?"

Bulma used her elbows to partly lift her upper body, and her eyes dove into Vegeta's.

"Everything," she said, nervously bitting her bottom lip, a gesture that Vegeta had always considered very sexy from her.

The Saiyan shook his head. Everything, all right. If she even knew half of what "everything" meant at this moment, she would never ask for it.

"You _don't _want to know everything," he replied. "Trust me."  
"No, I do."

The back of her hand softly caressed her husband's cheek.

"You managed to break free of his control at the last moment?"

A short, humourless laugh left Vegeta's mouth._ If only that was true. If only I was half as good as you believe..._

"The other way around," he muttered.

Bulma frowned, unsure of the meaning of these words, as he raised his chest and sat. His mind was racing, searching for words that would speak the truth without hurting her, without scaring her so much that she would never allow him anywhere her and her son anymore. The only problem was, try as he might...

There was no such words. What he had done could only make her suffer, and if he had to go as far as explaining _why_ he had acted like that, her pain would be even greater. Nonetheless, Vegeta couldn't bring himself to just lie to her about it. Firstly, because he was pretty sure that she would know he was trying to fool her, and, secondly, because she deserved far more than that.

Bulma deserved the truth, just like she had deserved to hear him telling her that he loved her.

"I told you," he started very carefully, "That my head can be thick and my eyes can be blind. I quickly understood that Babidi didn't only changed strong warriors into puppets. His dark magic also made them... stronger. Babidi spotted warriors with a tainted heart, and then his... his magic fed on their anger, thirst for vengeance and desire to get more power. Pure-hearted ones like Kakarot cannot be controlled by him. _I_, on the other hand..."

_I was the perfect target. I made sure I was the perfect target_. The prince swallowed instead of finishing his sentence, though his mouth was so dry that he barely hard any saliva to swallow. Bulma was staring at him in silence, but he doubted that she would remain so quiet for long.

"So I... in order to finally be able to surpass Kakarot, I allowed Babidi to see my true nature. I wanted him to make me stronger, I wanted him to make me forget about anything that could hold me back."  
"You purposely fell under his spell?" she asked. "What are you, crazy?"  
"I did _not _fall under Babidi's control," Vegeta replied.

Despite the tension, he managed to smirk.

"Truly, Bulma. All these years having me in your life, and you still don't know that I cannot be controlled."  
"But you said-"  
"Quiet," he grunted, and, for once, she obeyed.

The more she spoke, the harder it was for him to go on. A serie of unbelievable miracles had allowed him to stay with her, but he felt as if his next words were about to destroy all that. They were about to destroy _her_, but she wouldn't leave him alone until he would finally admit the truth. He had no choice but to go on with his explanations.

"I controlled everything that I did. The proof is, he ordered me to kill the Supreme Kai, and I didn't. I didn't even _try_. I had no business with the Supreme Kai whatsoever: all I wanted was a fight with Kakarot. I had complete control over my words and actions, I was just... it felt like going back in time. I was that perfect warrior with no borders again."

His eyes moved away from her: he couldn't stand the pain that he could already read in Bulma's deep oceans.

"I _enjoyed_ it. Babidi had done exactly what I had planned. He had unlocked the darkness that your presence had sealed away, he had set me free from all that was holding me back. I was _free_."  
"But, Vegeta..."

Bulma's voice was shaking: without needing to look at her, the prince knew that she was about to burst into tears. For once, he couldn't blame her.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would you do that, why would you want to throw your life away like that? _Our_ life..."

She got on her knees, accidentally brushing her cheek against Vegeta's arms. It was already wet with salty tears, and the answer to her last question was certainly not going to wipe them away. He looked at her with the corner of his black eyes: silent tears were rolling down her pale, perfect cheeks as she looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Because... you, Trunks... I thought it was no life for an elite warrior."

Bulma's blue eyes widened in shock, but she did not stay motionless for very long: pain and sadness were pushed away by an incredible fury, and she slapped him. Though it hurt her hand far more than Vegeta's face, she did not even grimace in pain.

"You bastard!" she yelled, forgetting about everybody else in the house. "You _fucking_ bastard - son of a bitch!"

He barely felt her punches on his scarred torso, and surely she knew it: yet, she couldn't help but keep on hitting him with every bite of her very little strength. She was so angry that her whole body was shaking under the pressure and the tension. Tears flowed on her face more than ever, but she didn't even seem to notice it.

"How can you say that, how could you _think_ that?! So I'm holding you _back?_ Don't go telling me that you love me if I'm such a waste of your time, you fucking asshole! "  
"Would you -" Vegeta started, finally managing to catch her wrists and stop her hits. "Stop it, you'll hurt yourself."  
"I DON'T CARE!" Bulma yelled in hystery, causing her husband to grimace at her outburst.

She was struggling to get away from his firm grip, but she was fighting a long-lost battle.

"Get your damn hands away from me, don't _touch_ me - you fucking cold-blooded murderer - GET AWAY FROM MY SIGHT!"  
"For fuck's sake, calm down, woman, _you're_ the one who-"  
"Don't 'woman' me!" she snapped. "Don't you dare, don't you _fucking_ dare, Vegeta! Get out of here, get out of my house and my life, if our son and I are such a _burden_ to your goddamn mighty _Majesty!_"  
"Be quiet!" his voice roared.  
"I will NOT! Let go of me Vegeta! I hate you, I fucking _hate_ you, how could you even think of Trunks like that?!! Don't you care about _us?_ Have you lost your damn mind?!! Don't we mean far more than-"  
"_Yes_," he said, "Yes, I had lost my goddamn mind!"

_That_ shut her up.

"I had lost my mind if I believed that power and strength were more important than being with you, I had lost my mind if I believed that I'd be happier without you! I had lost my mind if I thought than beating Kakarot was more satisfying than seeing Trunks growing up. I. Had. Lost. My. _Fucking_. Mind. Can you actually believe than that _clown_ understood it before I did, that he knew I was lying even before _I_ could know it? And to think that he is the one who set me straight..."

Bulma's body was still shaking under his hands, yet she wasn't trying to get away anymore, nor did she seem about to start shouting at him again. He loosen up his grip a little.

"Don't you know that I've done?" he asked rather bitterly. "I've killed myself because I didn't mind dying if my death meant that you could be safe, I allowed myself to disappear in what was supposed to be a permanent fusion with Kakarot, just for a chance of wishing you back! It took me _death_, both mine and _yours_, to understand how important you had become for me. I had to risk losing you forever to realise that I didn't really want this to happen. I'll _die_ before it happens."

Vegeta shrugged with one shoulder, let go of her and moved back, crossing his arms in his signature I-am-offended way. He turned his back on her, too, and she couldn't help but think that he was such a _child_ sometimes.

"If you're still quite convinced that I don't care about you, if you still believe that _I_, of all people, would lie about loving you, then it's your problem... _woman_."

She did not speak, and for one split second, he thought that he had said too much. However, when he felt her arms around his stomach, he mentally sighed and silently leaned his head against her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For calling you-"  
"The same," he cut her under his breath.

Bulma smiled faintly and tightened her grip a little as she moved back, allowing both of them to lay one next to another again. He closed his eyes with relief and they softly fell asleep, Vegeta's head resting on her breast, and Bulma's small arms wrapped around his body.

**End of the chapter: **Hop hop hop! The "Majin Talk" had to happen, and with Bulma's temper, the shit had to hit the fan eventually... I hope you guys like it! :D (the chapter, not the shit... XD)


	39. Another one

_Author's note: Strefe, my friend... that one is for you ;) you'll understand!_  
_Author's note, back to strike again: For those who wonder about the timeline (though a clue is given in the chapter ^^), this occurs few weeks after Majin Buu's destruction._

**Chapter 39: Another one**

"Awww, mom..."

Trunks grimaced as his mother flattened his purple hair _way_ too much for his liking. Not to mention that Bulma had forced him to put on something much more formal than the clothes he usually wore.

"Geez, mom," he mumbled, digging his fingers into his thick hair to make it look more natural and more normal. "This is even _more_ embarrassing than dad hugging me in front of Goten, for heaven's sake."  
"Would you stop complaining?" she snapped, rearranging his hair yet another time. "Stop being a crying baby and be a big boy!"

The spoiled child scowled.

"But I don't like my hair that way - I look like a dork!"

He folded his arms in that way that made him look so much like his father and glared at the blue-haired woman. That did not impress her whatsoever, as she simply glared back and continued on rearranging her son's hair.

"And I look like _Gohan_ with those clothes," he complained. "Dad's going to laugh at me forever now."  
"No, you look like a very handsome young -"

Bulma stopped her sentence in the middle, as it suddenly occured to her that she hadn't seen Vegeta ever since she had opened her eyes this morning. She had assumed he had went for some training, but they would be late at Goku's barbecue if he didn't show himself anytime soon.

_The way I know you, you don't even realise it's almost twelve already_.

When she glanced up at the Gravity Room through the window, however, she was surprised to see that it wasn't being used. She frowned a little, and gazed down at Trunks, who was currently scratching his back, complaining about his shirt and jacket's uncomfortable fabric.

"Where's your dad?" she asked.  
"I dunno," the boy replied, as he tried to loose his tie's nod a little. "Gosh, mom, this thing is strangling me!"

She rolled her eyes.

"No, it isn't, you big baby. You sure you don't know where Vegeta is?"  
"Yup, I'm positive mom."

He beamed at her, but she had noticed his blue eyes trying to evade from hers. Bulma crossed her arms and threw him a severe glare. Trunks felt his heart beating faster and his mouth drying. No matter how often Vegeta had told him that no warrior truly worthy of that name would be afraid of his own mother, he still believed that Bulma was, in a way, more dangerous than Majin Buu.

Especially when she glared at him like that. Really, whoever had decided that a warrior shouldn't be scared of his mother clearly did not have _Bulma Briefs_ as a mother.

"Don't lie to me young man. Where in the world is your father?"

Trunks swallowed hard - for he knew by experience that when she called him _young man_, she was getting mad - but did not reply. Bulma sighed: their son was annoyingly loyal to his father.

"Trunks," she said rather menancingly, "I'm going to give half of your toys to charity if you don't tell me where the hell is your father _now_."

His cobalt eyes widened.

"You wouldn't!"  
"Try me."  
"Oh all right," he sighed. "Dad's in the lab."  
"Why there?" Bulma asked, frowning.

Trunks sighed deeply.

"Because he knew this was the only place _you_ wouldn't look for _him_."

Bulma grunted. _Damn Saiyan - I'm gonna give you a piece of my mind!_ But he had been right on that: she would've checked in _China_ before checking in her own lab.

"You stay there," she ordered, "And I'll get your thick-headed father. And of _course_, don't you _dare_ try to warn him in any way, buddy!"

_Buddy_. That name was another bringer of bad news for the half-Saiyan child. Trunks sighed, and, as soon as his mother turned her back on him, dug his fingers into his hair to unflat them.

* * *

The door to the Capsule Corporation's laboratory swung opened at once.

"Well, well," Bulma said as she walked down the stairs, "What do we have here?"

She gave an amused smirk to her very surprised husband, who had been sitting on a chair before the scientist entered the room.

"My, my," she continued slyly, "Have we gotten lost, my prince?"  
"Erm - I was merely - what are you _even_ doing -"

And then Vegeta scowled as he finally understood _who_ had blown up his cover. Not that there were that many suspects to choose from.

"Little bastard," he growled between his teeth.

The Saiyan deeply breathed in.

"TRUNKS!" he barked. "THIS CANCELS OUR AGREEMENT!"  
"Hey!" the kid's voice replied from upstairs. "No fair! She said she'd give my toys away!"  
"I don't care, I made you _swear_ you wouldn't-"  
"Enough," Bulma growled, glaring at her husband. "_What_ agreement?" she asked after a short silence.  
"That I'd take him to the park for _two_ hours if he helped me," Vegeta admitted.

The outraged prince dropped back on his chair - on which he sat with the same attitude as he would have sitting on a throne - and crossed his arms.

"Well, the hell with it," he grunted. "This doesn't change anything. I am _not_ going to this ridiculous party."  
"Come on, Vegeta," she said with an alluring smile. "This won't kill you."  
"Going to a stupid barbecue party thrown off by _Kakarot?_ Perhaps it won't _kill_ me, but it is way too much for my pride to take."  
"There'll be food, Vegeta. Lots of food."

The mighty prince glared at his wife.

"There is food here too, you know," he snapped back. "I won't _starve_ to death just because I'm not going _there_."  
"Oh, come on," she said with pleading eyes as she ran her fingers through his dark hair.

He closed his eyes just to enjoy the touch of her fingertips massaging him like that.

"Do it for me?"

Vegeta merely growled, then opened his eyes.

"Fine," he mumbled.

She beamed and gave him a tender kiss. As she walked away, though, he caught her forearm to hold her back.

"Are you going to wear that?"  
"It's a new dress!" she scowled, glaring at him. "And you'd better_ like_ it!"  
"The dress's fine," he said. "It's just the... the..."

Vegeta sighed.

"The shoes."

She glanced down at her white high-heeled sandals.

"Well?" she asked. "What about them?"

Vegeta crossed his arms, stared at the wall next to him and mumbled something that she did not hear. Arching an eyebrow, she felt even more surprised when she noticed that he was actually _blushing_. But what for?

"What did you say?"  
"I _said_," he repeated, the tension visible in his jaw, "That they make you look... _taller_."

Bulma blinked several times.

"That's kind of the point with_ heels_, you know Vegeta," she responded matter-of-factly, frowning a little.

He grunted and did not take his gaze away from the wall.

"Well, aren't you tall enough already?!"  
"A girl can always use some added inches - wait a _minute_," she said, staring at him with the utmost shock.

She smirked: she had just understood what was the matter.

"Is that because that makes me look even _more_ taller than you?" she asked playfully.

The prince finally took his eyes away from the wall to glare at her.

"No," he said coldly, though it would've been obvious to anyone, even to Goku, that he was lying.

Truly. Being the shortest when he was surrounded by other warriors, even weaklings, was ok. Being the shortest while standing next to his _wife_, however...

Well, that was another story.

"Admit it, Vegeta."  
"All right! Keep the damned shoes, for all I care!" he scowled, walking up the stairs already. "Where are you going?" he asked as she went pass him, almost running.

She glanced up at him over her shoulder, beaming.

"I'm gonna put on some _flat_ shoes to protect your ego, Vegeta."  
"Damn woman," he uttered under his breath.

* * *

Vegeta closed his dark eyes in satisfaction and lightly sighed with content as Bulma's soft hands took care of the tension in his back and shoulders. After enduring Kakarot's barbecue, an extra-long training session had been necessary, and Bulma had proposed to give him a massage. Every time, he would argue that he was tough enough to handle himself and that a Saiyan's muscles didn't need any massage from a woman after training whatsoever, but, _every time_, Bulma would stubbornly insist and the prince'd lay down comfortably on their bed, and allow her to do it. "If you really insist," he would say - like _he_ was doing _her_ a favour! That made Bulma roll her eyes every time: he could say whatever he wished, the faint smile lingering on his lips when her hands wandered on his muscles meant everything.

Perhaps it was true that he didn't _need_ it, but he sure _liked_ it.

"Vegeta," the blue-haired woman said softly.  
"What?" the Saiyan mumbled dizzily, already half-asleep.  
"I was thinking," she started carefully, "Trunks is almost nine now..."  
"Mmmh," the prince lazily responded, his body motionless and his eyes still closed.  
"So I was thinking... I've been thinking about it for quite a while actually..."

Bulma bit her bottom lip.

"Get to the fact, dammit," her husband grunted.  
"Well, what if we... did that again?"  
"Do what?" he mumbled.

The scientist arched an eyebrow - her hands were truly magic if they actually managed to shut down Vegeta's clever brain.

"A child," she finally said. "Another one. What would you think?"

Vegeta rose up at once, almost knocking his wife off the bed in the process.

He blinked several times and stared at her in silence for a while. They had never planned to have Trunks, and he was already a lot of troubles to take care of for his mother. What kind of woman in her right mind would want to have _another_ permanent disaster-waiting-to-happen in her house? And with him, ontop of it? He was a terrible father. He just knew it - years under Frieza's orders hadn't exactly prepared him to be a father, so why would she want a second child with _him?_

Furthermore, Vegeta's worst nightmare could happen this time - a _daughter_. He shuddered at this simple thought. While most firstborn Saiyans of royal blood were males - thus making sure that there would always be an heir to the throne - the following children were not necessarly sons. Vegeta was _ok_ with the idea of having a second son - that would give him someone else to train - but what if they had a _girl_ this time?

"Are you kidding me?!" he finally asked.  
"No, Vegeta, I'm serious. I'd... I'd _love_ to have a second child."  
"Another whiny brat?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Cries and tears in the middle of the night again?"

She did not speak, and he continued:

"The little one using you as a Gravity Room again? The nausea and the crappy temper? The-"

Bulma glared at him, stopping him in mid-sentence.

"What would _you_ know about that?" she said. "You spent most of my pregnancy training out in _space_, if you don't mind me reminding you!"  
"Touché," the prince admitted after a moment of silence.  
"So, what would you think?" she asked softly, bringing her body closer to his.  
"But what for?" Vegeta insisted. "I mean aren't we just fine with Trunks? Hey," he said as her hand wandered a bit lower than his belt. "On a battlefield, that kind of behaviour is called _disloyalty_."  
"We're not on a battlefield," she replied, smirking. "Are we?"

He smirked back, and wrapped his arms around Bulma, pressing her body against his chest.

"Not really," he admitted. "But it's still a long-lost battle for you, I'm afraid."

Without a word, she got away from his arms and laid next to him.

"What's the matter with you?"

Bulma crossed her arms on her chest.

"I mean this isn't - it's no big deal, come _on_."

Her bottom lip and chin began to tremble, but Vegeta did not notice.

"We're fine with Trunks," he said more softly. "Aren't we? Isn't he enough for you to handle? Personally, I feel rather-"

Vegeta blinked several times when a tear slowly went down Bulma's cheek. Vegeta scowled. Really, how could she possibly be getting so emotional over being refused a second child that she didn't even know, a second child that might never happen anyway, when they already had a very gifted son to be proud of?

Bulma rolled off the bed and got on her feet, ready to leave the bedroom, but he seized her arm before she could do so. The prince gazed at her with intensity, catching her cerulean eyes with his onyx ones, even though she tried so hard to avoid his gaze.

And then he felt _it_. Electricity ran down his spine as he realised that she hadn't brought up this topic for no reason. It was faint, yet recognisable. Young, yet powerful. It was new, yet... _familiar_. Just as it did about nine years before, Vegeta felt attracted by this energy: it was both his and hers, mixed up in a perfect combinaison. He closed his eyes, simply enjoying the warmth that this energy threw into him. Bulma already knew. Surely she knew - why would she bring up this matter now, why would she start crying because he had said he didn't want another child, if she wasn't _already_ expecting that other child?

She had asked him because she wanted, she _expected_ him to say yes, so that she could surprise him by telling him that it was already done, but he had ended up telling her that he did _not_ want this other child he didn't even know about. He had most definitely screwed up for that one: Bulma wanted to make him happy, and instead he made her cry.

"I'm sorry."

Vegeta opened his eyes. It was her voice that had spoken. Why? Wasn't he the one who should be giving apologises? He wiped the tears away with his thumbs and took her face between his hands.

"I don't see why you'd be," he responded rather calmly.  
"Don't play dumb with me Vegeta," she said.

She tried to move back, but he was holding her firmly.

"I know you can sense it," she continued bitterly.  
"And yet, I don't see why you would apologise to me."  
"You _just _said you did not want another kid, Vegeta! Or as you said, another _whiny brat_. And here I am, telling you that I'm-"  
"Woman..."

The Saiyan smirked.

"I didn't run away nine years ago when I had far less reasons to stay. Why on Earth would I do it now?"

His smirk grew bigger as she gave him a faint smile in response.

"This is your call, though. You know how bad I am as a father."  
"No you're not," she quickly replied, eyes widening in genuine surprise. "You're... you're a much better father for Trunks that I first expected."

He rolled his dark eyes.

"I'm guessing how low you had put your expectations, so I'm not sure how I should take this," he replied.  
"Jerk," she said playfully, pushing his shoulder lightly.

He laid back on the bed, forcing her to follow him, and held her close, like he used to. Her fingers played gently with his hair as he focused on that new energy he had just detected. It was weaker than Trunks' signal, much weaker. Vegeta mentally scowled - he'd be damned if he had just spawned a weakling! It took him about ten seconds to realise that strength wasn't the only difference between this child's energy and the one Trunks emitted as a baby in his mother's body. That energy was feminine - Bulma was expecting a _girl_.

Well, now that changed everything: for a female half-Saiyan, this was indeed quite a strong energy. Vegeta couldn't help the grunt that escaped his mouth. A girl, really, what was _he_ supposed to do with a girl?!

"What?" Bulma asked dizzily, as she was already half-asleep in his arms.  
"Nothing," he replied very calmly.

She'd ask about the baby's gender soon enough, and then he could complain about it all he wanted. But, for now, he wanted to let her sleep.

"Mmhh," was the only answer she managed to form.

He changed their positions a little so he would be more comfortable, and quickly fell asleep too.

**End of the chapter:** Ok so one thing, I don't know how old Bra is supposed to be compared to Trunks. I have. No. Freaking. Idea. I tried to find it on Internet but basically no source would give me the same age -.- so I thought, the hell with it, and decided I'd go by my own estimations. She looks 12-13 in GT to me, where Trunks himself looks 18-20 (to me, again), so there would be a gap of about 8 years between them, placing her conception not long after Buu. If I screwed up with the dates then I'm sorry and I hope you guys won't mind XD


	40. A father's duty

_Author's note cause-she-can't-shut-her-damn-mouth: Hey heyyy! Sorry if that one took a little bit longer than the others, I had SO much inspiration for an OS, "A prince's journey" so I really had to stop writing this chapter and write this oneshot down. If you wanna take a look, feel free of course, it's about our favourite prince :D_

**Chapter 40: A father's duty**

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"

Trunks jumped on his parents' bed, landing right between them. Vegeta glared at him in a pretty threatening way, raising his chest as he did so. When would this damn kid learn to _knock_ on a fucking door? All right, this time around they were really sleeping, but this wasn't a reason to forget about the rules. He scowled. The _rules._ This kid was spoiled, thanks to his mother who'd given him everything. Rules and limits meant nothing to him.

"Trunks," he growled. "Give me just one reason why I shouldn't blast you through the wall right _now_."  
"Vegeta," Bulma said reproachfully.  
"What?! Don't worry, he'd survive."  
"We've got to train, Dad!"

Vegeta blinked, staring at the alarm clock next to the bed. He frowned upon seeing the numbers on it.

"What's the emergency now?" he asked. "It's barely seven, and it takes everything for you to wake up at nine!"  
"Because," Trunks responded, "I fought with Goten yesterday, you know, for fun!"  
"And then what?"  
"Well, Goten won!"

The prince's dark eyes widened.

"What?!" he grunted. "You let that clown's spawn kick you butt?"  
"Vegeta!"  
"Stay away from this Bulma, it's a father-son matter!"

She rolled her blue eyes, but did not say anything else.

"Goten did not kick my butt, that was pretty tight. But he still _won!_" Trunks insisted. "Do you realise that he's _younger_ than me?! He can't win like that, it's unacceptable!"  
"You are absolutely right," Vegeta replied, getting on his feet.

Trunks being better than Goten was the only victory he had ever obtained against Kakarot - there was _no way_ he was going to let it slip away.

"Get down in the Gravity Capsule right now," he ordered. "You are going to train until you can show that idiot what we Saiyans of royal blood are made of."

The boy nodded and left the bedroom in the blink of an eye. Bulma smiled and lightly shook her head as her husband was putting his training clothes on.

"Is it truly that much of a big deal?"  
"Of course it is!" Vegeta scowled, glaring at her as he searched for his boots. "Trunks has the potential to beat that little brat over and over again, he can be much stronger than him. And he will be," he concluded.

As Vegeta headed for the door, he glanced up his shoulder.

"We might be late for lunch. I'm not letting the little one out the Gravity Room before I feel he's become a proper challenge for that _Grotest_."

Bulma's jaw dropped as the Saiyan closed the door behind him: late for lunch? Trunks waking his father up earlier than usual to train?

Then it was a matter of death and life for both of them.

She smiled as she rearranged her pillow under her head: some things would _never_ change. Bulma's hand inconsciously wandered on her stomach, and her smile grew bigger on her lips. Unlike nine years ago, she did not feel scared whatsoever: this second child was a surprise, like Trunks, but this time she knew for sure that she wouldn't be let to raise her baby alone, and that the child would grow up knowing his father.

Or... _her?_

As much as she loved Trunks, she sometimes wished she had a daughter. She had given Vegeta a son to train, someone that would take after him and grow up to be a strong and proud warrior just like him. But a girl... Bulma smiled dreamingly. A girl that would take after her would be wonderful. She'd play with her all day long, treat her with the utmost care without Vegeta complaining that this wasn't how you raised a warrior, and when she'd grow older, she could even take her to the lab with her. She would be smart, of course, no question or doubts about that. Bulma would finally have someone to whom she could teach science.

The blue-haired woman shook her head. Here she was, getting all excited over the fact of having a girl, without even _knowing_ for a fact that she was expecting a girl. Well... this would be easy to know. All she had to do was ask Vegeta, right?

* * *

"Isn't Vegeta coming? And Trunks?" Yamcha asked as Bulma was disposing the food in front of him on the table.

He had decided to visit her, like he did so often. He pretented to be going through a whole new training program, much tougher than any other before. _Yeah, right_, Bulma thought. She had never seen a training program that was more lazy and relaxed than Yamcha's. She smirked upon hearing his question.

"If you miss Vegeta _that_ much, I'll go and get him," she said playfully. "I'm sure he will be absolutely _glad _to see you."  
"That's not what I meant! I meant, well... the last time I've ever seen him being late when it was a matter of food, he was obsessed by turning into a Super Saiyan to be able to beat Goku."  
"Well," she said, pouring him a glass of water, "That's about the same thing, just one generation later."

Her friend frowned.

"What do you mean?"  
"I mean," she continued, "That Trunks jumped on our bed at _seven_ this morning because he wanted Vegeta to train him right _now_, because he and Goten fought yesterday, and Goten won."  
"So what?" Yamcha asked, arching an eyebrow.

Bulma rolled her eyes.

"Hey, that's the end of the world for both Trunks and Vegeta, don't you get it? For Vegeta, knowing that Trunks is better than Goten is like himself being better than Goku."  
"Kicking Goku's butt through their sons?" Yamcha asked doubtfully, and she nodded.

_A jerk's always a jerk_, he thought. He bit his tongue, though, and only responded:

"Saiyans will always be Saiyans, I guess."  
"You bet. You can't just take the competitive spirit out of Vegeta. Just because he started respecting Goku as a warrior doesn't mean he doesn't want to be better than him anymore."

Yamcha rolled his eyes.

"And Trunks minds that much about losing to Goten? I mean they're _friends!_"  
"Trunks is Vegeta's son," Bulma replied with a smile. "He wants to be the best, just like him."

Her friend smirked.

"Like Vegeta's the only one that gave Trunks such a spirit," he said.  
"What does that mean?" she asked, glaring at him.  
"That you enjoy the taste of victory as much as I do, woman," Vegeta's voice said in her back.

Bulma turned on her chair and smiled.

"Back from training already?"  
"We're merely taking a break," the prince responded, not even looking at Yamcha who was sitting next to his wife. "The little one can't stand hunger anymore, apparently."

He gestured towards Trunks, who was already filling his plate at incredible speed.

"A weakness that he took from you, of course," he said with a smirk to Bulma.

Her eyes narrowed.

"It's not like it's Bulma who can eat twice her weight in a single meal," Yamcha commented.  
"I can tough hunger," Vegeta coldly replied as he sat next to Bulma. "For that matter, why the hell are you here?"  
"Just came to visit my friend," Yamcha snapped back. "You jerk."  
"That's right," Vegeta said with the same smirk and tone he'd given him about nine years earlier. "Your _friend_."

Yamcha glared at the Saiyan. For some reason, Vegeta just _loved_ to rub it on his face that Bulma had dumped him to end up in his arms.

"For your information," he said, "I'm seeing someone right now."  
"Really? What happened?"  
"What do you mean?" Yamcha asked, frowning.  
"Well, her mental disease. Did she have some sort of accident, or was she just _born_ like that?"

Trunks laughed and almost choked on his piece of chicken.

"You fucking imb-" Yamcha started.  
"Yamcha," Bulma growled, apparently disagreeing with the usage of such foul language in front of her son.  
"He insulted me!"  
"Oh, poor little thing," Vegeta said mockingly.  
"Gosh, dealing with both of you is worse than dealing with children," she sighed. "You know at least kids _do_ grow up..."  
"Hey, Yamcha," Trunks interrupted with an innocent smile and look on his face. "If you're staying, would you train with me? Dad's much stronger than me, but maybe I can beat you!"  
"Erm," Yamcha started, only to be cut by Vegeta.  
"Trunks, what did I tell you about killing flies?"  
"We do not waste our energy on worthless opponents," Trunks mumbled.

Yamcha glared at Vegeta in silence.

_I fucking hate that guy_.

* * *

Later that day, when Trunks was to exhausted to keep on training, Vegeta dropped on the couch next to him. She glanced up from her science book and smiled.

"You did not tell me," she said softly.  
"Didn't tell you what?"  
"When I first told you I was expecting your child, you immediately told me that it was a boy," Bulma continued. "You... you didn't say anything this time. Can't you feel it?"  
"Of course I can," he responded.  
"So?" she asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Vegeta crossed his arms and sighed. He still hadn't gotten used to the idea that he'd have a_ daughter_, and that still made him shudder.

"It's a girl," he finally dropped.  
"Are you sure?" she asked, joy and hope sparkling in her sapphire eyes.  
"Yeah," he replied, nodding. "At first I couldn't figure out why the energy was so much weaker than Trunks', but then I understood that it was a feminine energy."

She hugged him tightly as he scowled.

"What?" she asked. "Aren't you happy?"  
"Can't say I am excited," he mumbled under his breath.  
"But why not?" she insisted. "We already have a son, this will be different - this will be great!"  
"Well, a girl," he scoffed. "A _girl._ I'm a warrior, Bulma! I mean having Trunks is _all right_, but what in the _world_ am I supposed to do with a girl?!"

Bulma glared at her husband.

"Look," she growled, "I don't know how it worked on _your_ planet, but on Earth, a daughter is as welcome as a son! That's so sexist-"  
"It's got nothing to do with the way it worked on planet Vegeta," the prince replied, glaring back at her. "Female Saiyans are rare, thus a daughter is actually very welcome in a family. Except in the royal family, where a daughter means one less heir to the throne. They're _precious_, not rejected or whatever you may thing."  
"Precious?" she repeated, her eyes blinking.  
"How do you suppose the greatest warrior race can go on without women to bear and raise the children that will one day grow up to be mighty fighters?" Vegeta asked, staring at his wife. "A daughter is considered a treasure that must be protected from danger by her father. Failure to do so is considered one of the greatest dishonour for a Saiyan, just like allowing anyone to lay a single finger on your wife."

He scowled and crossed his arms again.

"_Still_," he mumbled, "Here that's not a problem. A daughter, what am I supposed to do with a daughter?! I can't train her, and I am not going to play goddamn _dolls!_"  
"You mean Saiyan females don't fight?" Bulma asked.

Yes, that was it! She'd finally have a child that could share her passions!

"It had happened in the past," Vegeta replied after a short moment of reflexion. "I remember seeing at least one female warrior when I was a child. But it's uncommon. They're tougher than Earthlings, of course, but most of them don't have a fighting spirit. They take care of the house and the kids."

He shook his head. Planet Vegeta was dead now.

"I meant, they _took_ care of the house and the kids," he said, the tension visible in his jaw.

Bulma gave him a soft smile and leaned her head on his lap.

"You know, we'll have to tell Trunks about it," she said after a while.  
"Tell me what?" the boy asked, coming from Kami-knows-where.  
"You know," Vegeta said as he quickly got on his feet, "I have something to check in the Gravity Capsule. You listen to your mother, she'll tell you."

And even before either of them could blink an eye, Vegeta had left the house. Bulma rolled her blue eyes.

_You've got something to check in the Gravity Capsule, right. How convenient!_

**End of the chapter:** Theeere you go... I have NO idea how Saiyans felt about/treated their women, but since they were a proud warrior race and whatnot, I felt it would be something like that :D please keep reviewing guys, it really helps! ;)


	41. Yet she was there

**Chapter 41: Yet she was there**

"So," Trunks said, looking at his mother with innocent eyes. "What were you and Dad supposed to tell me?"

Bulma sighed. You'd think a man who jumped into any possible fight wouldn't be scared of anything, right?

You'd be wrong.

She gave her son a comforting smile, and taped the spot next to her very lightly.

"Sit here," she said very kindly.

The boy blinked, but obeyed nonetheless.

"I really don't know about the little fire in your lab, mom," he said quickly. "And grandpa said-"  
"What?" she asked, frowning.  
"Oh, it's not - I mean, what fire? Erm -" he shook his head and gave her his most naive face. "What did you want to tell me?"

The blue-haired woman frowned even more, but finally said:

"Oh, well. Nevermind that for this time."

Trunks swallowed. Whatever it was that she had to say, it had to be _damn_ important if she forgot about what he had just said.

"You... you are going to have a little sister, Trunks."  
"Really? When?" he asked, frowning.  
"In about eight months or so."

The half-Saiyan child blinked several times.

"Gosh, that's _long_ - where did you buy her, on Namek or what?"  
"That's not quite how it happens," Bulma replied, chuckling as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Parents do not buy children."

She did not quite know how to explain this - she was not prepared at all. Of course, she could explain reproduction with a lot of precision and dozens of technical terms, but how do you explain that to a child, _your_ child? And, of course, Vegeta was not there at this crucial moment.

_Figures._

"They do not?" Trunks asked.  
"No, they don't - you see, when two people care about each others very much, like your dad and I, or Goku and Chichi, they can express their love and create a child. At the beginning the child is very, very little, but then he - or she - grows up in the mom's body, until he or she is ready to live in the real world. Here," she said softly, putting her son's hand on her still very flat stomach. "She's in there - if you focus hard enough, you can sense her, like your father can."  
"When two people who care about each others express their love?" Trunks repeated.

Bulma nodded, and Trunks covered his mouth.

"Geez, what if it's me? I mean I _do_ care about you mom, and I_ express _my love-"

She laughed very lightly at his innocence.

"No, no, don't you worry," she said with a comforting voice. "It's a very specific way to express your love that can make a child, and you're way too young for that buddy!" she finished playfully kissing his cheek.

He scowled, pretending to be annoyed, but still grinned and kissed his mother's cheek too.

"For that matter, shouldn't you be in your bed right now?" she said.  
"Oh, mom," he scoffed.  
"Off to bed!"  
"But, you know, since I'm gonna be a big brother and all, maybe we should forget the curfew and all-"  
"I don't think so."  
"Oh, all _right_," he scowled before leaving. "Good night, mom."  
"Good night, honey."

Bulma waited in silence until the door to Trunks' bedroom closed behind him, then said:

"You can stop hiding, Vegeta."

He scowled, but still left the dark corner where he'd been waiting for his wife to go on with her explanations - and praying that Trunks wouldn't see him and ask_ him_ for more explanations.

"There's no way you could've seen me or hear me," he said as he dropped on the couch, looking rather offended that his Earthling wife could figure out his position.  
"Yet I knew you were there," she said with a teasing voice and a playful smile.

She got on his lap, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered:

"Don't I always?"

His lips curved into a faint smile and he held her close. Vegeta had himself stated countless times that he would spend his whole life alone, and that it was perfectly fine like it. There was no way he could ever find someone who would fit him: it was pointless to even think about it. And yet she was there, staring at him with those lusting cerulean eyes. He had never searched for her, never actually wanted someone in his life: yet she was there, kissing his lips and digging her fingers into his dark hair. She had died once: he had died twice. Yet... she was still there, her slender fingers running down his naked chest. He had pushed her away countless times, treating her like she was a worthless piece of shit: yet she was there, smiling to him. He'd never asked for a child, let alone two children, let alone a _daughter_...

Yet she was there, too, slowly growing up into her mother's body.

"You did not tell me," she whispered under her breath.  
"Didn't tell you what this time?"  
"Each... one of them..."

A soft finger followed the design of one of his many scars and she smiled at him, giving him a very strong feeling of déjà vu. This time, however, he had no desire to push her away whatsoever.

"You told me a few," she continued with a low voice, looking at his scars with the utmost interest, like she did about nine years ago, the night where their lives had changed. "That one... first battle... this one... Goku... and here," Bulma said softly, her index finger on his heart. "Frieza..."

Vegeta stared at her in silence. This had occurred so many years ago, he had barely replied to her, he'd been so grumpy and harsh in his way of responding her... yet, she had paid him so much attention that she still recognized these three scars, among all the scars on his chest, she still remembered who caused them?

"But all the others...?"  
"You care that much?" he asked.  
"I just wonder... you know, like I said that night, they're like words and sentences telling about your story, your past."

Bulma felt the tension in her husband's body at the mention of his past: this was to be expected, after all. She had had quite an easy life - for the love of Kami, she'd first gone after the Dragon Balls for a _boyfriend!_ - but she knew he hadn't. His life had been tough, thanks to a certain purple freak.

"You don't have to care about that, Bulma. The past is over. If you really want to know," he sighed, "Most of them were caused by Frieza."

Bulma frowned - what kind of idiot would do that?

"Here," he continued, putting his wife's finger on his left shoulder. "This is the day Dodoria and Zarbon first brought me to him for the first time, the day I was told that my planet had been crushed by a_ meteor_," he snorted, "And Frieza told Raditz, Nappa and I that we were the only Saiyans left."  
"So what, it's like a welcome-in-my-army-kiddo gift from him?"  
"Hardly."

Vegeta smirked and his eyes darkened as he remembered that day.

"That's more like a why-won't-you-bow-to-me-like-your-two-friends gift."  
"You wouldn't bow to him?" she asked, chuckling a little even though she did not want to. "It figures."  
"He asked me if I as deaf, because I wouldn't do it, unlike Nappa and Raditz. Then I asked him if he was stupid, and I said that princes did not bow, that princes did not obey to anyone. You know, this was worth it. Truly. Just to see that bastard's face when a child that wasn't even half of his size wouldn't kneel before him as he ordered so, this was certainly worth the pain."  
"I'm sure you were quite a pain in the ass for him," she said playfully.  
"Oh, he surely regretted some days that he had kept me alive," Vegeta replied carelessly. "I made sure he did, especially as a child. He made me pay, too."

He shrugged.

"It's over now. I don't care."

She smiled at him, for she knew, as they gazes met, that he was not lying. This was finally behind him: her presence had pushed that away, just like it had pushed away his darker side.

"What did you think?" she asked. "The first time you saw me?"

The Saiyan smirked.

"You really want to know that?"  
"Mmm-mmh."  
"I thought you were beautiful. And then you _spoke_," he finished, his smirk growing bigger.  
"Hey, that's not nice!"  
"Well, what did you think?"

Bulma flushed.

"What does it matter now," she mumbled.  
"Oh, you had me answering that one, so you do it too!" he said, glaring at her.  
"We had all been wished on Earth, and, and... you were there, sitting under a tree, with your arms crossed and that grumpy scowl on your face... and I thought..."

Bulma's cheeks turned a very bright shade of pink.

"I thought 'This guy's handsome, but he really needs to get laid'," she finished, giggling nervously.  
"Oh _really?_" he scoffed. "Well thank you _very_ much for this _flattering_ first impression."

Vegeta sneered, as though he was actually offended, but his arms got tighter around her body, proving that he was only making fun of her.

"Well, I most certainly _did_ get laid after all," he said with a cunning smirk. "Though we didn't actually _lay _that night."

She laughed lightly and her fingers caressed his spiked dark hair.

"Then I was right, that was what you needed," she joked.  
"Far more than that," his voice whispered almost without his consent.

Bulma smiled and pressed her lips on his, lighting the very same fire that had started burning into them a little more than nine years ago: as passion took over they bodies and minds, clothes flew into the air, moans echoed into the night, and, yes. The wall would need some more reparations.

Surely there was a weakeness on that particular spot, really.

**End of the chapter: **There you gooo folk :D I had to make a I've-put-my-past-with-Frieza-behind-me, of course, and I felt that with a daughter on her way, this was the moment. Hope you guys liked it ;)


	42. The whole royal family

**Chapter 42: The whole royal family**

"I swear," Vegeta scowled, glaring at his wife. "Why do we even have to go there? We don't even_ like_ this idiot! He can open as many hotels as he wants for all I care!"  
"We're just being polite, Vegeta," Bulma sighed. "It won't kill you. You fought Buu with Mr. Satan, at least have some respect for him now."  
"_Fought_ with him?" the Saiyan scoffed. "Not even remotely! He was hiding behind a rock while I was getting my ass beaten up and I almost had to strangle the dear life out of this _clown_ for him to finally ask the Earth-"  
"Yes, yes," she said, kissing her baby's forehead. "But he's having this inauguration today, we've invited so we'll - oh, Geez, I forgot Bra's bag. I'll be right back."

Before she could leave, however, Vegeta took Bra from her arms.

"I'll - erm - hold her while you go for her bag."

Bulma couldn't help the smile on her lips. _Uh-uh_. It's not like she was unable to go and get that bag while carrying Bra, but she knew that Vegeta just grabbed any excuse he could to hold her in his arms, and this was certainly not something that she would refuse. No matter how many times he had complained that there was nothing a warrior like him could do with a daughter, Bulma knew that Bra was his little princess. And whoever would ever think about laying a single finger on her was earning himself a one-way ticket to the Other World, courtesy of Vegeta.

"Thank you," she said, walking away.

Vegeta glanced down at the baby girl in his arms, who laughed happily and leaned her forehead on his chest. He had felt so weird the first time, holding her awkwardly due to his lack of experience, yet very carefully because she looked so fragile. So small, so pink, so easily broken or scared. Since that very moment where a smiling nurse had put the little thing in his arms, he had wanted only one thing: to protect her and make her happy, no matter the cost. She still looked very delicate, for that matter, and he always carried her with the utmost care. Sometimes he felt a bit stupid doing this: she was, after all, half-Saiyan. She wasn't as fragile as an Earthling baby, he should know it better than anyone else... and yet he couldn't help but hold her as though she was made of the finest cristal.

Bra laughed again, and glanced up at her father, beaming. She was already beautiful - she'd be the spitting image of her mother, no doubt about that. But he had known from the start that she would end up looking absolutely gorgeous. Saiyan females were always very beautiful - how else would they manage to distract the males from their obsessive trainings?

He held her a bit closer and closed his eyes. And to think that he'd missed that with Trunks...

"Vegeta?"  
"Uh?"  
"You can give her back to me now."

He frowned.

"What for?"

She took a small capsule out of her jean's pocket.

"Because we'll have to put her on her seat, _hello_, Earth to Vegeta-"  
"What?" Trunks said. "Can't we just go there by flying? Come on, mom, dad'll carry you!"  
"He's right, we fly much faster than your stupid jet," Vegeta noted.  
"Well my _stupid jet_ is much safer for Bra than you boys flying around!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and bent over, putting Bra into her big brother's arms.

"You hold her tight."

Trunks nodded - even though he generally pretended to be annoyed by her, he actually liked his baby sister. Now he had someone to protect and take care of.

"Vegeta, are you out of your damn mind, you can't ask a _child_ to fly around with a bab-EEK!" she gasped in surprise when he took her in his arms like a new bride.  
"Bulma, really," he sighed. "The kid can stand under 200 times Earth's normal gravity. He can carry a _baby!_"

The two Saiyans took off, each one of them holding their "package" with the utmost care.

* * *

"Awwww," Goku said as soon as the family landed on the grass. "Finally!"

Lowering his upper body a little, he looked at the baby girl in Trunks' arms.

"Isn't she _cute_ - well, who would've thought, really, that Vegeta, of all _people_, would have a daughter! Hello Bra, my name is Goku-"

Bra burst into tears: Trunks grimaced both in confusion and annoyance, glancing up at his parents with a what-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-do-now light in his blue eyes.

"Kakarot, you _imbecile_," Vegeta growled, taking his daughter in his very protective arms, where her tears dried very quickly. "Don't talk to her like she's stupid, she isn't as retarded as _you_ are - and your stupid goofy face scared her! Don't worry, Bra. The clown's gone. Daddy took care of him."

Bra smiled and clapped her hands happily, and Goku laughed nervously as Vegeta glared at him.

"She's just not used to me-"  
"Perhaps she _would_ be," Bulma said reproachfully, "If you visited us more often! Does it truly take some so-called champion to open a hotel for you to see your friends?"  
"Well I've been busy-"  
"Hey hey!" Trunks said, running up the stairs. "It's a all-you-can-eat buffet up there!!!"  
"Really?" Goku asked, beaming. "Hey I'm coming too, I'm _starving_ - don't you dare eat all the chicken wings!!"  
"I think I'll go too," Vegeta said, giving Bra to Bulma. "Just to see him make a fool of himself."  
"Sure," she joked. "Nothing to do with the buffet of course."

The prince scoffed, yet walked away.

Saiyans just _couldn't_ ignore an all-you-can-eat buffet.

* * *

"She's really beautiful," Videl said, looking at Bra with loving eyes. "I think she'll look a lot like you, Bulma."

Videl, Gohan, Chichi and Bulma were sitting at a table, and Videl couldn't take her eyes away from the baby.

"Thank you," Bulma said, beaming.  
"Well, uh? When are you and Gohan giving me a cute granddaughter?" Chichi asked with a smile.

Videl almost spat the water she was drinking. Chichi was really Mrs. Discretion when it came to "hinting" that she wanted her and Gohan to get married.

And quickly, while they were at it.

"Mom," Gohan sighed, obviously embarrassed. "Come on, we're barely twenty!"

Videl cleared her throat.

"I can't believe my father took all the honour for the defeat of Majin Buu," she said, only for the sake of getting onto a much marriage-less and childless topic. "It's just so _embarrassing_ to see him doing all these conferences knowing that he didn't do a single thing."  
"Well," Gohan said kindly, "He _did_ convince the Earth to give my father the energy he needed. It's already far more than what he did for Cell."  
"To be perfectly honest, Gohan," Bulma said, "It's more like _Vegeta _used Mr. Satan's popularity to carry on_ his _plan."

Gohan glared at her and opened his mouth, though he did not have the time to say anything: a huge crashing noise coming from very close to them took everybody's attention.

"It's all right, darling," Bulma said softly to her crying daughter. "Don't you worry - goddamnit, what the hell is going on here again?"

She got on her feet, walking in direction of the noise. She gasped in surprise when she saw a ship that had landed quite noisily in the grass. Smoke floated around the white structure, and a door slowly swung opened.

And _someone_ got out.

Bulma's sapphire eyes widened. A... a tail? But then... then this guy was... and that armour... and _hair_... she swallowed, her blue eyes still huge.

"Hey," Videl started in her back. "Doesn't he look a bit like-"  
"Brother?" the unknown Saiyan said softly, hesitantly, looking at everyone as though he was searching for someone.

Bulma heard a scowl behind her as Vegeta made his way through the front. The new Saiyan beamed.

"I've been looking for you for so long!" he said.  
"Brother?" Goku repeated. "Vegeta has a _brother??_ Did you know, Bulma?"

_Hell no_, she thought as she, too, walked towards him. Now that his face was in the light, she could tell that he was not lying: it really felt like looking at a younger version of her husband. He looked much softer, too.

"I can't say the same, Tarble," Vegeta replied rather coldly for someone who was being reunited with his brother.  
"Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?" Bulma whispered to him.  
"Because I barely remembered myself. He's a _weakling_," he muttered back. "A dishonour for the royal family."

Tarble's gaze stopped on the female Earthling as she whispered with his brother. Short blue hair, magnificent cobalt eyes, perfect marble skin, inviting ruby lips: she had to be the most gorgeous female he had ever seen, all species put together. The beautiful creature held a baby in her arms - her daughter, quite obviously. A little girl whose energy was... oddly familiar, for it was partly Saiyan. Royal Saiyan blood flowed into her veins, she _had_ to be Vegeta's child. So this beautiful woman was, without any doubt...

His eyes moved on Vegeta.

"Your wife?" he asked, glancing back at Bulma.  
"My mate," Vegeta corrected firmly, "And my daughter."

He didn't quite know why Tarble even bothered to ask: had he not been of royal blood himself, it would've been important. It would've determined how he was supposed to speak to her. But, given that he was the king's youngest son, he had no obligation at all to talk to her by using any honourific titles - only a common Saiyan would have to kneel before her and call her "Lady Bulma".

_For fuck's sake, don't tell me that you landed here just to chat._

Bulma scoffed and glared at Vegeta. What did he mean, his _mate?_ Weren't they married?! _Note to self: kick Vegeta's ass._ Strangely, she felt that Tarble's eyes looked at her with far more respect now that Vegeta had said that.

"Although I doubt you actually came to discuss about my family," Vegeta finally said, finally leaving his thoughts. "For that matter, didn't Father put you on a ship as a baby?"  
"He certainly did," Tarble replied. "He sent me on a lovely planet with very charming and welcoming people."

Vegeta growled. _What an idiot._ If weakling Saiyan babies were sent on what his people used to call "easy" planets, it wasn't so they could have a peaceful life there. It was so they could easily take control of that planet and its people. Really, how hard was that to figure out for imbeciles like Kakarot and his brother?

"Hey," Goku said cheerfully, walking towards the front row. "Me too! They sent me here on Earth as a baby! That makes two of us!"  
"You?" Tarble asked. "B-but _why?_ Your power level is even greater than V-"

Another growl from his brother's mouth made him understand that it was better to avoid the topic.

"Nevermind," he said with a sorry smile. "With you two, I know I made the good decision by coming here. They must've followed me, they're terrorizing my whole people but they saw me leaving, I know they did - you've got to help me! _Please_, Vegeta!"  
"All right," the older prince scowled. "But the next time you bring your fucking troubles on _my_ planet, Tarble, I'll blast you to the other side of the Earth. Trust me, I _can_."

He took one step forward.

"What are they like?" he asked.  
"They're very, very tough."  
"There's _two _of them? No fair, Vegeta," Goku said. "I'll come with you."  
"Very _tough_," Vegeta sneered at his brother, not paying attention to Goku at all. "Coming from you, that doesn't mean much, Tarble."  
"Each one of them is about as strong as Frieza. I doubt you could call _that_ a weakling."

Vegeta and Goku's gazes met.

"As strong as Frieza?" Goku repeated, and Tarble nodded.  
"No need for us to waste time on that," Vegeta said, walking back to regain his initial spot. "But that'll be perfect for the kids."  
"I agree," Goku said. "That'll make them a great warm up."  
"The... the kids?" Tarble said. "Wait, are you _insane_, I told you, it's like two Friezas coming right for us! You can't have mere children-"  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Vegeta mumbled. "Grab a seat, let the real warriors work and shut up. Trunks! Let the buffet alone and come here!"

The child landed next to his father, a chicken wing in his hand and his mouth full. His gaze met his father's, and he quickly swallowed.

"Yup?" he said, beaming innocently.  
"How about a little fight, son?"  
"Really? Awesome!"

Tarble's dark eyes widened. That child - clearly his nephew - he was surely not older than ten years old, and yet... yet his power was incredible. Vegeta's son, at such a young age, was already stronger than Tarble himself could ever _dream_ to be. The youngest prince felt a bit of jealousy at this thought crossed his mind.

Honestly, what sort of genes did his brother carry that _he_ did not?!

* * *

Vegeta kissed Bulma's cheek as he dropped on the bed next to her - when she barely reacted, however, he frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.  
"_Nothing_," she replied with that voice and face that meant exactly the opposite.  
"You know," he said with a smirk, "If I_ finally_ learned something about women, it's that 'nothing' _never_ actually means 'nothing'. So what is bothering you?"

She sighed, annoyed. Her husband was really too clever to fall for that old "nothing is wrong" feminine strategy.

"Well earlier, your brother..."  
"Is that because I never told you about Tarble?" he grunted.  
"No," Bulma said, sighing again. "It's got nothing to do with that. It's just... when he saw me, and asked you if I was your wife, you said that I was your _mate_. Why didn't you tell your brother that you and I are married?"

Vegeta blinked.

"_That's_ what's been bothering you?!"  
"_Yes_," she snapped, "And don't try to make it sound like it isn't important! Are you ashamed of being married to an Earthling?"  
"Not even in the slightest," the prince replied. "Really, after everything we've gone through, you still doubt me, woman?"  
"Just answer me, Vegeta," she scowled.  
"It's _different_ for us. Marriage on Earth and Planet Vegeta means different things."

She frowned but remained silent, allowing him to go on.

"By Saiyan standards, your wife is only the female you married. It does not mean a lot to us, other than the fact that you've gone through a goddamn long ceremony. It's often political. Your _mate_, however," he continued, "Is far more than that. Your mate is the one both your heart and body chose to be yours forever. She may or may not be your wife as well, it does not matter to us. If fate ever allows her to cross your path, then she's _yours_, until the very end. Mates belong together no matter _what._ They're partners, forever."

Bulma blinked several times and blushed, feeling rather stupid for holding a grudge against him just because she did not know about that part of Saiyan culture. So this was why Tarble had looked at her with far more respectful eyes than he had done before being told by his brother how important she actually was for him.

"There's no fighting it," he concluded with a faint smirk on his lips. "I know it, I tried long ago."  
"I'm sorry," she said, her cheeks red. "I-"  
"Doubted me again? Yeah, I _noticed._ Anyway, Tarble probably asked that because he thought you were some Earthling princess that I had married out of pure interest or something like that. The fool," he sneered, "So I had to make it clear. Furthermore, he was staring at you with _those_ eyes. I had to make it stop."  
"What eyes?"  
"Those this-female-is-gorgeous eyes that I can still see on that goddamn weakling's scarred face when he _thinks_ I'm not looking," Vegeta growled. "He's damn lucky you forbad me to kill him years ago."  
"Well, well, aren't you a being a bit jealous there?" she asked teasingly.  
"I just don't like the way he looks at you," the prince replied, crossing his arms.  
"Because you're jealous," she insisted with a smirk.  
"Is that jealousy if I want to blast the hell out of him everytime he enters the house?"  
"Yes."  
"Mmh," the Saiyan mumbled.

He paused.

"Then I suppose it'd be jealousy."

**End of the chapter:** There you GO :D yeah I know it's a bit different from what actually happened (like, I know, I messed up, Bra isn't supposed to be there in the movie with Tarble LOL) but I was too lazy to rewatch the whole movie... besides, where's the fun if I just copy what they said and do, uh? :D I hope you guys liked the chapter anyway, and Vegeta's first interactions with his baby girl ;)


	43. Goku's pupil

**Chapter 43: Goku's pupil**

"Goku!"

Bulma smiled warmly and hugged her friend.

"Is your house on fire or something?" she joked. "You almost never come here!"  
"Well, I'm kinda busy," he replied, scratching his head like he did so often. "Gohan won't train anymore because Chichi _really_ made him a scholar when I died, but Goten's far than enough to handle! The boy's got spirit..."

The Saiyan sighed.

"And to think that I've missed seven years of his life... really, if I had known, I wouldn't have-"  
"At least _you _didn't know," Bulma replied. "You're not the only Saiyan who missed a part of his son's life, if you know what I mean. And yet," she continued, a bit of frustration in her voice, "Both of them said 'daddy' the first time they spoke. I'm almost insulted you know."

Bulma walked in the living room - where she was before Goku knocked on the door two minutes earlier. Bra was sitting on the wooden floor, playing with the very sophisticated educative game her mother had just finished for her.

"Let's say you've both atoned for missing out a part of Trunks and Goten's lives," she said with a smile, sitting on the couch. "Vegeta's amazing with Bra - just don't let him know I told you that. He still pretends to be in his I-don't-know-what-I-can-do-with-a-daughter phase."

Goku laughed, and the four-year old half-Saiyan girl glanced up at him. It felt a bit odd for Goku - it didn't feel like being looked at by a normal, innocent child. It felt like being scanned and analysed by a scientist or a doctor.

_Or Vegeta_, he thought. Yes, that was it: the little girl looked very much like Bulma, yet, by the way she stared at him right know, there was no doubt that she was taking a lot after her father, too.

"Are you the one Daddy calls Kakarot?" she asked, inclining her head on the side as she kept gazing at him.  
"Yup!" he replied happily. "Call me Goku though - I'm sure Vegeta feels like he's the only one who can call me Kakarot."

Bulma laughed while Bra simply nodded - again, something that surely came from her father.

"I'm being so rude," the blue-haired woman said. "Do you want something to drink or eat, Goku?"  
"A soda will be fine, thank you."

With a last smile, the scientist left for the kitchen. Her daughter, though, was still staring at Goku with intensity.

"Dad says you're the only one that can beat him," she suddenly said, her sapphire studying him carefully.  
"Well, I guess that would be true," Goku replied, beaming. "Your dad's a pretty tough fight for me, though, I'll admit it."  
"He trains everyday with Trunks in the Gravity Capsule."  
"It figures."  
"They're both very strong," she continued without really listening to him. "But they won't show me."

Goku frowned a little.

"Could you?"  
"Could I...?" he repeated, a bit clueless.  
"Could you show me? Dad won't train me and he forbad Trunks to do so, he says girls _don't_ fight but_ I _wanna do like him and Trunks! He won't even teach me how to _fly_, they carry me around, but I can do it on my own! I'm a Saiyan too you know!"  
"Erm-"  
"Please!" she begged, her hands clutching at his legs and her blue eyes begging him. "Please, please, please! I wanna make my dad proud, I want to be like him!"  
"Look, I-" he started off hesitantly. "Listen... I might teach you the_ basics_ if you really want, but I'm warning you right now that you're not fighting me _whatsoever._ One little scratch on your arm, and your father is going to murder me."  
"You will?" she asked, sparks in her beautiful cobalt eyes. "You will train me?"  
"If you really want, yes."  
"Thank you _so_ much!!"

By the time Bulma came back in the lounge with Goku's soda, her daughter was beaming and her friend was rather confuse.

"Woah, what happened when I wasn't here?"  
"Well," Goku stared, but Bra's treatening glare stopped him.

He smiled widely - too widely for it to be natural, even for _him_ - to Bulma.

"She was just showing me how good she is with that complicated toy you made her! For a four-year old little girl, she's really super smart!"

Bra smiled innocently, and her eyes moved back on her educational toy.

* * *

Bra streched her neck, looking into the Gravity Capsule through a round window. Both her father and brother were turning their backs on her at the moment, which was perfect, actually, since she wanted to spy on them. Goku would teach her nothing but the basics: flying, sensing people's energy, supressing yours, that kind of simple things. For the more complicated stuff and moves, she would have to do it on her own. Perhaps that just by observing them, she could figure out how they did, and mimic their techniques.

Her father suddenly turned his head towards the window: she quickly lowered herself to hide from his sight. Surely he wouldn't want her to spy on them as they trained.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, staring at the empty window. He could swear someone had been watching them.

"What's wrong?" Trunks asked as his father briefly closed his eyes.

Bra. What would she be doing there?

"I'll be right back," he said, quickly getting out the Gravity Room.

His dark eyes immediately spotted his daughter. With the guiltly look of a thief who's just been caught by the police, she glanced up at him.

"Yes?" she asked with a voice that was meant to sound innocent.  
"Bra, what are you _doing_ here? Aren't you supposed to be with your mother?"  
"She was making me read a book," the little girl complained. "I got bored, so I came here to watch you and Trunks training."  
"What for?"  
"I was just... curious?" she suggested.

The prince crossed his arms.

"None of that 'just curious' nonesense with me, young lady."

Bra swallowed hard: her father seldom got mad at her, but when he did, he always called her "young lady".

This was bad.

"I've told you a thousand times," he said rather impatiently, "That I will _not_ train you. You don't need to be trained, Bra! Let the warriors take care of that and-"  
"_Fine!_" the little girl scowled. "Don't train me if you don't want to, but you can't stop me from _watching!_"

Her tiny body left the ground and she "sat", floating in midair, just at the right spot to look through the Gravity Capsule's window.

"I'll stay here until you both finish your training," she said as if nothing special had happened, "And you don't have any control over _this!_"

Vegeta's jaw dropped and he blinked several times. What in the _world_... he knew for sure she hadn't learned to fly from him, and Trunks shouldn't have shown her, either. He had been forbidden to do so.

"Who the hell taught you how to fly, Bra?" he finally managed to ask.

The little girl crossed her small arms, looking at her father with a hint of defiance in her cerulean eyes.

"Goku," she replied.

The Saiyan's dark eyes widened: _Kakarot_ had trained _his_ daughter? His little girl, his beautiful princess? He'd taught her about fighting?! This was surely the greatest insult he'd received in his entire life, and never before had his daughter spoken to him with such blatant disrespect.

"Kakarot taught you how to - excuse _me?!_" Vegeta spat. "You asked that _clown_ to train you?!!!"  
"He may be a clown like you say," she snapped back, "But at least _he_ didn't just refuse and tell me that 'girls don't fight'!" she finished, imitating his rough and angry voice.

Vegeta took a deep breath, then pointed behind her.

"In the house. Now."  
"No," she harshly replied.  
"GET IN THE _DAMN_ HOUSE RIGHT _NOW_ AND DON'T FORCE ME TO ASK YOU AGAIN!"

Bra scoffed - never had his father gotten _that_ mad at her - but headed for the house nonetheless.

"And by _foot_," he ordered in her back, "If it isn't too much to ask you!"

His daughter landed on the grass and ran towards the house, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Vegeta got back in the Gravity Room as Bra rushed into the house.

"Moooooooooooooooooom!!!!" Bra shouted, jumping into her mother's arms.  
"Bra, for heaven's sake, where in the _world _were you, I've been -"

Bulma stopped at once when she noticed that her daughter was crying.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked softly.  
"D-dad is _mean_," she sobbed, "And I hate him and-"

Bulma frowned. Vegeta, mean? He was an angel with Bra, what had gone wrong?

"- and he likes Trunks better and it's not fair!" Bra finished, still crying.  
"Hey, hey," Bulma whispered, stroking her child's blue hair. "That's not true, what happened that made you think that?"  
"He won't train me! I asked, but he won't do it! So the other day," the girl sniffed, "Like two weeks ago, when Goku came, I asked him, and he said he would teach me! And just now, I wanted to watch at dad and Trunks training but dad saw me and he got mad! I flew for him, and I thought he'd be proud but he just got even angrier and he shouted at me! That's not fair, he's always proud when Trunks gets better! It's not fair!" she insisted.  
"You're right, it's not fair. Tell you what," Bulma said with a smile. "I'll talk to him for you, all right? Maybe he'll change his mind. But no matter what, he loves you Bra. As much as Trunks."  
"Really?" she asked.  
"Of course, Bra!"

_Making her cry like that - I'll give you a piece of my mind!_

* * *

The Saiyan prince jumped a little when the door opened behind him. He glanced up at the mirror just in time to see Bulma closing the door behind her.

"I've got to speak to you," she said.  
"Now?" he scowled. "Can't I take my shower first?"

She crossed her arms.

"No."

Vegeta grunted and turned to face her, folding his arms too.

"I talked to Bra this afternoon," she said. "She said you got mat at her because she watched your training with Trunks and you even yelled at her."  
"No," he simply replied.

Bulma's sapphire narrowed.

"Are you telling me that Bra lied?"  
"No, she was just mistaken. I wasn't mad when I saw her spying on us, I just didn't want her to do it. I got mad when she told me that she had received training from _Kakarot_."  
"Don't blame her for finding a solution on her own, Vegeta!"  
"A solution?" he repeated. "A solution to _what_ problem exactly, if I may ask?!"

She poked his naked torso with the tip of her finger, glaring at him with no fear at all in her blue eyes, no matter how sharply and menancinglyhe glared back. He did not move back, and stared at her stubbornly. He would not change his mind. He was ok with Trunks taking after him - though, needless to say, he did not want his son to end up exactly like him. But his daughter? Hell no. She was brilliant, beautiful and talented, just like her mother. He wanted her to grow up happily, without having to worry about fighting. Furthermore, there was no way Vegeta could train Bra: he could train Trunks, blast him, allow him to punch him, and punch him back. He didn't worry about Trunks getting hurt, and when he did - though this was rare - it only made him stronger in the end.

But Bra? He could never fight her. Should he even bruise her cheek, should he even allow her to hurt herself by punching him, he would never forgive himself.

"A solution to the problem that her father is too _sexist_ to show her a thing or two about fighting!" Bulma snapped.  
"I'm not _sexist!_ Why would she even want to fight anyway?!"  
"Because she _admires_ you and wanna do just like you, you idiot! I'm not asking you to train her as hard as you train Trunks, but you could at least have the decency to show her the basics! And what if she ever _needs_ to fight, uh?"  
"Why would she need it? She's a girl, Bulma - a _girl._ Girls don't need to fight!"  
"Now, you're really being sexist Vegeta. What if someone wants to hurt her someday?"  
"And you're really being ridiculous," he growled. "If any bastard ever even_ thinks_ about laying a single finger on my daughter, I'll crush him to a million pieces before he even has the time to move a damn muscle."

The blue-haired woman sighed heavily.

"And what if you're not there, tough boy? Listen," she sighed, putting her arms behind his neck. "Really, why don't you show her a thing or two? Not like you do with Trunks, just... a little soft training, you know? That would really make her happy, and it won't kill you."

Bulma bit her bottom lip hesitantly.

"You know, she... she cried earlier because she thinks you love Trunks better. I know it's not true," she quickly said, for Vegeta was showing every sign of a brutal interruption. "But that would really show Bra that you love her if you do that for her."

Vegeta sighed and leaned his forehead on Bulma's. She was looking at him with her most pleading eyes - this was disloyal, of course. She knew he couldn't say know to _those_ eyes.

"All right," he scowled. "I'll do it. Now, can I take my shower?"  
"Alone?" she purred, smirking suggestively to her husband.

The prince smirked back.

"Not necessarly..."

**End of the chapter: **Hophop! Damn stubborn Saiyan prince... who can't resist a pair of blue pleading eyes lol :D I hope you guys liked that chapter, next one should be coming soon as usual ;)


	44. The oversize cat

**Chapter 44: The oversize cat**

Vegeta knocked on the door leading to his daughter's bedroom.

"Bra?"

The Saiyan prince frowned when he got no answer. He could feel her energy behind the closed door, yet she would not give him any reply. She had never sulked him like that - was she _that_ mad at him?

"I know you're in there," he said, trying to turn the handle. "What the - unlock the door, Bra."

Again, he got no answer and he sighed heavily. _You're truly not giving me any other option, Bra_. With a careless slap of the back of his hand, the door violently swung opened: Bra - who was sitting on her bed - turned her head and her blue eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. For some reason, her glare made Vegeta shiver: she really looked too much like her mother after all. Her eyes threw _very_ sameknives at him.

"You can't do that!" she protested, leering at him angrily.  
"I can't do what?" he asked, a bit amused by the situation.  
"You can't just _break_ my door like that when I don't want to unlock it for you, it's _got_ to be cheating - or at least unfair!"

And then, the little girl folded her arms and sneered.

"Though it does not actually matter to _you,_ I suppose!"

Vegeta blinked several times.

"That's enough," he growled, "I am your father and you have absolutely no right to speak to me like that!"  
"Yeah, YEAH! Whatev-"  
"Look," he cut her off, "Either you quit that bratty attitude of yours right _now,_ or I'm going back and I'm taking my offer with me."

Really, he had endured enough. He wasn't going to allow a four years old little girl, let alone his own daughter, to lead him, dominate him and order him around, right? Certainly not.

He was_ Vegeta_, not Kakarot!

Bra's eyes immediately softened, and she unfolded her arms as she looked at her father with the utmost interest.

"What offer?" she asked more politely.  
"First of all..."

Vegeta sighed again, gazing down on his daughter. So beautiful, so innocent. Why did she insist on training that much? It couldn't be just the Saiyan blood: Saiyan females weren't typically that much into fighting anyway, even the pure-blooded ones. So, a half-Saiyan female? That did not make sense to Vegeta. She did not even look like a Saiyan - except from the fact that she was very beautiful. Just like her brother, she had received none of the physical traits of the fallen warrior race: no black hair, no dark eyes. Bra actually looked so much like her mother that it was almost scary: she had the same blue and soft hair, the same cobalt blue eyes, the same pale skin and the same facial structure. She was also a genius, like Bulma. Vegeta remembered that she could read at the age of three - she was a very, very clever child, and a fast learner, just like her mother before her.

Not to mention the temper, which was unfortunately very similar too.

"You will not take any lesson from Kakarot ever again," he said very firmly. "If I ever see him even talking to you about fighting, merely approaching the topic in a normal and innocent conversation, _you_ are not getting out of this room before you're eighteen and_ he_ is dead."  
"But-" Bra started, offended, before shutting her mouth under her dad's severe glare. "Sorry," she quickly whispered.

Vegeta let go a subtle "humph" and crossed his arms.

"I can train you a little-"  
"Oh really?" Bra's voice raised cheerfully. "You mean it?"

Jumping from her bed, she caught him into a bone-crushing hug - well, actually, she caught him into what _would_ have been a bone-crushing hug, if only she had the strength to do so.

"I love you, I love you," she claimed happily, kissing his cheek as she held herself onto his neck, "You're awesome, you're the best, I love you sos so SO much Dad, you're-"  
"Easy now, Bra," he said, though he hugged her back.

God, was he glad that she wasn't mad at him anymore.

"I said I would train you a little," Vegeta continued, "Not that I would train you as hard as I train Trunks. I will not, no Bra, not even if you look at me like that," he added, for she was pouting at him in such an adorable way. "But I'll show you the basics, all right?"

Bra nodded: surely that was better than nothing, and that was all she wanted after all.

As for Vegeta, he mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that she would get bored out of her mind after one or two lessons after seeing that training was not the game she thought it was, or at least that it would be enough to satisfy her.

"Now," he sighed, "If you'll excuse me, I have to find an explanation for your mother about the door."

* * *

Two bodies moved together gracefully into the steam: her short blue hair had flattened, since the burning water fell right on it, and his black hair still stood upright, even though the water hit it in its fall as well. He nibbled her neck and she moaned his name, causing his lips to curve into a smirk against her fragile skin. He'd always loved that voice, he had always _loved_ how she sounded how she was begging him, even back in thoses days where he tried to fool himself that he did not care if he didn't hear it ever again.

_Idiot._

He'd been an idiot to have been given such a magnificient creature and taking so long to fully appreciate what fate had offered him. Bulma was, after all, one of the very few people - and certainly the first one - who had actually given him a _chance._ The chance to make his own choice, the chance to be the person he wanted to be. And, for that, he was more than grateful.

He kissed her and she arched her back a little, digging her nails into the skin of his back - though he barely felt it. She whimpered and he held her thighs even more firmly around him.

"Vegeta," she breathed heavily, her nails getting deeper in his back.

Her back arched violently and her whole body shook against Vegeta's as her voice cried out in ultimate pleasure. She was panting, while his breathing was heavier than usual, yet even. Bulma leaned her forehead against her husband's, and their gazes met. She was so beautiful - she could complain all she wanted that she was getting older, he barely noticed. Whenever the prince laid his eyes on her, he saw the same gorgeous, bold young woman that was "beautiful before she spoke", the one that had talked to him on Earth with absolutely no fear and a very noticable disrespect.

She smiled hesitantly.

"How can you...?" she started off after a short moment of silence, but then her voice faded away before she could finish her sentence.  
"How can I what?" Vegeta asked, his hand caressing her wet cheek.  
"How can you still look at me with those eyes?" she finished softly. "I know I'm not... I mean I'm not getting any younger, you know, and you still-"

The prince smirked.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I'm older than you. Not to mention I spent two full days into that Hyperbolic Time Chamber-whatever. That means two more years - for my body at least."  
"But you don't age," she said, looking at him very carefully. "It doesn't matter how old you actually are, you're still the handsome Saiyan that was brought here on Earth by Dende's wish, whereas _I_-"  
"You know," he cut her off, "This seems yo bother you far more than it could ever bother me."  
"Well..."

Bulma bit her bottom lip.

"Have you noticed how people look at us in the streets?" she asked.  
"No," he replied blankly.

She rolled her blue eyes.

"It figures," she mumbled. "The thing is, with you looking like you're barely thirty and me looking as old as I actually am, I look like a... _well_..."

Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red and her eyes wandered away.

"I look like a freaking cougar," she finished.

Vegeta blinked several times, staring at her in disbelief.

"What does an oversize cat has to do with any of this?!" he asked, feeling a bit clueless.  
"No, I mean... goddammit, it's just an expression Vegeta! A cougar's a woman who likes, erm, much younger men."  
"So?"  
"So?!" she scoffed. "You mean you don't mind that people think I'm a perverted fifty years old woman running after a thirty years old man?!"  
"Firstly," he said, lifting a finger, "You are hardly running after me, woman. And, secondly," he added, lifting another finger, "I am _not_ thirty."  
"But you look like you are!" she insisted. "I can go and explain to everyone 'Yo, don't look at me like that, he's just a never-aging alien'!"  
"I will age," he replied flatly. "If that can make you feel any better."

Bulma's eyebrows raised.

"When?"  
"We Saiyans retain a young body and appearance in order to fight as long as we can, but time catches up with us eventually. We age dramatically fast at the end of our life."

He paused, staring at his mate in amusement.

"Doesn't it remind you of a conversation we had years before today?"

When she simply frowned, he smirked and continued:

"You know, about you and excessively high-heeled shoes."

Bulma flushed.

"They were not excessively high," she said defensively.

Vegeta kissed her forehead.

"And you are not a giant cat," he whispered to her ear.

**End of the chapter:** Muahaha I just could NOT resist that cougar thing :D ever since this came to my mind while discussing with Strefe, this had to be written!!


	45. What you've done to me

**Chapter 45: What you've done to me**

Vegeta mumbled and grunted for himself as his hands reached down in what was surely the twentieth damned drawer he had opened. Sure, it would be easier to ask for Bulma or the kids' help for this, but any of them would surely screw this up. He did not trust Trunks nor Bra to keep their mouth shut about it: even if they tried to lie, Bulma's mind was way too sharp. She'd see right through it. As for asking Bulma...

Well, if the prince was putting himself through such trouble to hide it from her, he was certainly not going to blow up his own cover, was he?

"Dammit, woman," he growled between his teeth. "You'd think a goddamn scientist like you would be far more organised than that..."

Finally, his fingers touched what he had been looking for for the past ten minutes.

"About damn fucking time," Vegeta mumbled, putting the small device into his pocket: he closed the drawer, hoping that his wife wouldn't open it anytime soon and realise what a mess he had done.

He jumped a little when the lights were turned on.

"Dad?" Bra's unsure voice said. "What are you doing down here in mom's lab?"  
"Well I'm-"

Vegeta cleared his throat.

"The real question is, what are_ you_ doing down here in your mother's laboratory?"  
"You can't reply to my question by asking another one," she responded, crossing her arms stubbornly.

_Goddammit._ For a twelve-year-old, she was sharp. She'd always been - just like her mother.

"Besides," she continued as she stared at him in curiosity, walking down the stairs, "_I _have a reason to be here - mom's teaching me about science, remember?"  
"Well I was looking for her," Vegeta replied. "But she isn't there, so I'll just go and train. Where's your brother?"  
"In his bed," Bra sneered.  
"It figures," Vegeta scowled. "Damn lazy brat."  
"I did not say he was sleeping. Or, _if_ he is, that'll be because he _needs_ it."

The Saiyan frowned.

"Explain yourself, Bra."

The half-Saiyan smiled widely.

"I'll tell you if you tell me what you were truly doing here," she said slyly.  
"Bra, for God's sake..."  
"All right," she said innocently, "If you don't wanna know the _juicy_ new - and, believe me when I say juicy -"  
"FINE!" he growled. "Deal!"

Bra smirked and her father scowled: she had him wrapped around her finger, she_ always_ did. From the day she was born, he had been at her damn mercy - he knew it and it really,_ really_ pissed him off, but there was honestly nothing he could do about it. He loved her, she was his little princess: he'd do everything he could to make her happy. Vegeta had complained for _years_ that Bulma was spoiling Trunks way too much, and yet he had done exactly the same thing with their daughter: whatever she asked for, if it was requested with a charming smile, a pair of innocent sapphire eyes and a pleading "Please, dad" he'd say yes.

"Trunks brought Marron here last night," the young girl said, leaning her back on the wall and watching at her nails carefully. "And lemme tell you she didn't use a guest room. They spent the _whole_ night together."  
"Who's Marron?!"

Bra rolled her blue eyes. Her father was always the last to know those things - probably because he did not actually care.

Except when it was about his own children of course.

"Ding ding, breaking news dad! Trunks' _girlfriend_, hellooo - they've been dating for about one month now."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed.

"That still doesn't tell me who she is."  
"Krillin and 18's daughter - dad, come on..."  
"The little blonde brat?!!! Trunks is dating her? What the hell is wrong with him?"  
"She isn't a 'little brat' anymore - though she is still blonde. She's sixteen, and she's nice. She loves shopping and she listens to very cool music and-"  
"She's still that bald imbecile's daughter! Godammit!"  
"Krillin isn't bald anymore," Bra noted. "Gosh, dad, try and keep up, will you?"  
"He'll always be the bald idiot for me," Vegeta sneered as he walked up the stairs. "Wait 'til I give your stupid brother a piece of my mind about bringing an android's spawn in here-"  
"Wait a minute!"

The girl shot him a deadly glare.

"Your part of the deal, dad," she said. "What were you doing here?"

That calmed Vegeta down like a cold shower - all right, he had more important things to do right now than to take care of Trunks' matter right now.

Which didn't mean he was safe from his father's wrath. Not at all.

"Looking for your mother's greatest invention," he replied before leaving.

Bra blinked several times.

"Looking for - hey, this isn't fair! This isn't even a full answer! DAD! Shit-"  
"Bra!" her mother said reproachfully, walking down the stairs. "I raised you better than that!"  
"Sorry," she apologised, "But Dad kinda made fun of me over here."  
"What for?"  
"Well he was here, and he wouldn't tell me why, so I made a deal with him, answered his question perfectly, and he still gave me half an answer! He cheated, I hate when he does that."

Bulma frowned. The only time she had seen Vegeta down in the laboratory, he was trying to avoid a barbecue at Goku's place.

"And what did he say?"  
"He said he was looking for your greatest invention," she grunted, taping her foot on the floor angrily. "It's _hardly_ a decent answer if you ask me!"  
"My greatest invention?" the scientist repeated.  
"Yeah. Talk about a _dumb_ answer."

The blue-haired woman did not reply: which one of her inventions would be the greatest, according to Vegeta? Possibly the Gravity Room, since he was spending most of his time in there, either alone or with Trunks... but he wouldn't be looking for it. Damn, if there was _one_ thing in the entire place that Vegeta could find with his eyes closed, that was surely his precious Gravity Capsule.

So, what could he have been looking for in the lab?

* * *

The Saiyan landed gracefully on the white floor.

"Vegeta?" Dende said, obviously surprised to see him up on the lookout.  
"Cut the crap, green boy," Vegeta snapped. "The Dragon Balls. Now."  
"Erm-"  
"Don't 'erm' me, I know they're all here," the prince said, showing Bulma's radar as a proof of his words.  
"B-but what for?" the young Namek gasped. "Nothing terrible has happened-"  
"None of your business."  
"You're... you're not evil anymore, right? I mean this isn't about something selfish such as immortality or power, right?"  
"I'll train for my power and we Saiyans live long enough, thank you very much," Vegeta growled. "This isn't even about me so give me the damn balls."

Dende gestured Mr. Popo to go and get the Dragon Balls requested by the Saiyan: the fat man nodded, and walked away. He came back about one minute later, with the seven magic balls laying on a blue pillow: slowly, carefully - though they were almost indestructible - Mr. Popo put all of them in front of the Saiyan prince. They shone in a beautiful golden light, and the blue sky disappeared, only to be replaced by a sea of darkness.

"I am Shenron," the powerful creature slowly said, looking at Vegeta with his red eyes, "And I shall grant you two wishes."

Vegeta glared at Popo and Dende.

"Get lost," he snapped to them.  
"But-" Dende started.  
"This is personnal matter! Get the hell out of here!"

Both of them disappeared in the blink of an eye.

* * *

"Erm, mom?" Bra said, interrupting her in the middle of a very long and complex explanation.  
"Yes, sweetie?"  
"Would you mind forgetting about physics and explain me that?" she asked, pointing the window with her purple pen.

Bulma's eyes widened when she saw that the cerulean sky was dark despite the hour. Electricity ran down her spine: Shenron had been summoned, but why? And by who?

_He said he was looking for your greatest invention_.

Her radar, of course! This was surely the most brilliant thing her clever mind had ever created! But why, why would Vegeta need the Dragon Balls? What could he possibly be wishing for? Bulma had no idea, yet she felt that it was bad.

"I'll be right back," she quickly said, running up the stairs.  
"Eh?" Bra gasped in surprise. "Does that mean I have a free day and I can go shopping with Marron? Moooom!?"

Trunks almost had a heart attack when his door was violently swung opened: Marron gasped and blushed, hiding herself as much as she could under the sheets.

"Mom," Trunks scoffed, obviously embarrassed. "I'm _twenty-one_, you can't just enter in my bedroom without knocking first - oh, wait a minute, where did I hear that line before?"  
"No time for jokes or throwing your father's lines back at my face," Bulma snapped, grabbing his forearm. "Wherever he is, take me. Now, Trunks, now!"  
"Woah, mom, what's the rush?!"  
"Look for yourself!" Bulma almost yelled, pointing at the huge window. "He's called the Dragon, and whatever he has in mind I must know right now!"  
"But mom, could you just-"  
"No buts buddy! You take me to your father right now, or else-"  
"I was merely going to ask you for thirty little seconds of privacy so I can at least put on some pants, mom," Trunks scowled.

Bulma blinked.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure."

* * *

"State your first wish, prince Vegeta."

Vegeta took a deep breathe: it had never occurred to him before the night before, but Bulma's concern about looking like a "cougar" - though he still had a hard time understanding this expression - had forced him to realise something. As a Saiyan, he had lived about half of his life by now: as an Earthling... she had twenty-five, perhaps thirty more years before passing away. She would die way before him. He'd see her getting weaker, then he would look at her as she died.

He could not stand this idea. All his life he had been a loner, but not anymore. Being with her had changed him - he did not know how to be alone anymore.

"My first and only wish," Vegeta started, "I want you to make my wife Bulma a Saiyan."

If this worked, she would age as slowly as him, for she would be the same specie: he wouldn't spend half of the time he had left without his beloved mate. The sacred dragon slightly inclined its giant head.

"This cannot be done," he stated.  
"What?! And why is that?"  
"Your wife Bulma is an _Earthling_ - I cannot change that. Nothing can."

_Fuck. _He hadn't planned that, he hadn't planned that at all. What sort of lame creature was that? _The Eternal Dragon that can grant any wish - yeah, right, my ass._

"Is there anything else you wished for?"

Vegeta closed his eyes. He could wish for her to age just like him, but she was an Earthling. A Saiyan's body was made to endure that - an Earthling's was not. If he made that wish, Bulma woud suffer terribly at the end of her life, and this was not what he wanted for her.

_"I mean this isn't about something selfish such as immortality or power, right?"_ Dende's voice repeated in his mind.

_Yes, green boy. This is it._

That way, whatever happened to him in the future, he would always know that she was alive and well.

"Fine. Then can you make her immortally young?"  
"This could be done," Shenron slowly replied.  
"Well do it!" the prince snapped.  
"_NO!_" a piercing and familiar voice shouted from nowhere. "Disappear - leave _now_, Shenron! No more wishes today!"  
"Very well," the Dragon said, turning into golden light before disappearing completely.

Before Vegeta could even think about turning to the sound of the voice, he was seized by the front of his shirt.

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Bulma yelled, shaking him. "What the hell were you thinking, summoning the Dragon for such a stupid-"  
"_Stupid?!_" he repeated. "How's that stupid? I'd love to hear you explaining that one, woman!"  
"You'd wish me immortally young? What for?! We use the Dragon Balls in _emergencies,_ Vegeta! Besides, I thought you did not care if I got older-"  
"I do not, but I certainly _care_ if you must die before me!"  
"But after that?" she insisted. "Are you insane? _You_ are not immortal -"

She bit her bottom lip.

"What need do I have of immortality? _I_ would be the one to see you die, I would see all of my friends passing away, and then I'd be left all alone forever? Do you think it would be any better? Is that truly what you wish for me?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks and he frowned. Try as he might, he did not understand why she was getting that upset.

"Did it not occur to your clever brain that I did not want to be the one left all alone either, Vegeta?" she said, her hands still clutching at his dark shirt. "You'd leave me behind, forever? How could you possibly try to wish that?"  
"It's not what I had in mind."

Truly, it was not. He had been so focused on his own inability to be forced to live without her that he hadn't even taken the time to think about it the other way around. Of course she did not want to outlive him either!

_Idiot._

"You do realise that I'll live for about sixty more years, do you?"  
"But we die for a _reason_, Vegeta," she said wisely. "At one point our time is just _over._ Please, don't try and go against this."  
"But I-"

His fists closed tight in frustration: he felt so damn weak and pathetic. He couldn't picture his life without her, he couldn't go back there. He _needed_ her now. She'd made him addicted to her scent, her voice, her skin, her presence. Her love.

"I know," she whispered with a shaking voice, as though she had actually read his mind. "And so do I... so please, _please_ Vegeta, don't force me to spend the eternity alone without you," she pleaded.

Vegeta held her tight, closing his eyes as he slowly, deeply breathed in her floral scent that he loved so much.

"Curse you, damn woman," he hissed, though playfully, to her ear. "Look what you've done to me - you made me _need _you."  
"And you," she whispered back teasingly, "Curse you, damn prince. Look what you've done to me - you made me refuse eternal youth."

He rolled his dark eyes.

"We can call him back if you changed your mind."  
"Not in a million years," she responded. "Let's just enjoy the many years we still have together instead of worrying, shall we?"

He kissed her, stroking her blue hair.

"Your wish has been granted..."

Someone cleared his throat.

"Excuse me," Trunks' embarrassed voice raised. "But can I leave now? I'm freezing cold because it was such an emergency that I'm lucky mom let me put on my _pants_. I don't even have a _shirt_, for the love of Kami."  
"You're not leaving to get back with that bald's child, if that's what you have in mind!" Vegeta sneered.  
"Dad, for heaven's sake, I'm _twenty-one_, I can do whatever I want!"  
"No you can't!"  
"Yes I can!"  
"Can't!"  
"CAN!"  
"_CAN'T!_ I'm still your father!"  
"_CAN_ - I'm an adult!"

Bulma smiled faintly as her eyes went from Vegeta to Trunks, and vice versa, as they fought their endless can-can't war.

Everything was back to normal already.

**End of the chapter:** This chapter is for all of you folks who've been asking me or telling me that Bulma could've wished to age like Vegeta, or if it had ever crossed her mind, etc ^^ I hope you enjoyed it!


	46. Oldschool prince

**Anonymous:** Wouldn't you be Strefe too lazy to sign in, by any chance? XD Anyway... I really think that if it was truly possible for Shenron to make Bulma age at Saiyan speed, both Vegeta and Goku would've wished for that, for their respectives wives. It seems almost impossible to me that none of them ever realised that Bulma and Chichi would pass away before them (perhaps not Goku, since he isn't very aware of Saiyan culture and abilities, but surely Vegeta would've realised that), and that they would be very old while they still look like they're 30, and even more impossible that someone as smart as Vegeta wouldn't think about making that wish, so I made up the explanation that an Earthling's body just couldn't take it (hence Vegeta's first wish, to make Bulma a Saiyan). Like, a Saiyan's body is MADE to age superfast at the end of their lives, while a human's body is made to age progressively ^^ sounded logical enough to me (by DBZ standards of course lmao).

mrs briefs: Hehe, forgot you last chapter *blushes* thanks for the nice reviews, I hope you keep enjoying my little fic :D

**Chapter 46: Old-school prince  
**  
"Wait a minute," Vegeta said as he landed, putting Bulma down on her feet. "Where do you think you are going, Trunks?"

The young man froze somewhere between his landing spot and the door.

"Well I'm going to put on a damn shirt," he replied, trying to sound as innocent as he could. "Unless you're about to go back up there and summon the Dragon and cause mom to freak out, that is."  
"I think you're most likely to take off your _pants_ than put on a shirt," Vegeta replied, smirking.

Bulma smirked faintly, but walked away, rolling her eyes. If she said anything, Vegeta would surely snap her that this was "a father-son matter".

"What?!" Trunks scoffed, then blushed and hid his face behind his hand. "Ah, man - dad, don't talk like that, it's embarrassing. I'm not gonna-"  
"Well, she's still there, isn't she?"  
"Yeah but -"  
"And you, son, are damn late for your training. So get in the Gravity Room right now."  
"What? Marron's waiting for me, you can't possibly be serious!"  
"Well, you let her wait, it won't _kill_ her. Waiting for me to finish my training never killed your mother," Vegeta grunted, pointing the Gravity Room. "Get in there."

Trunks sighed heavily. He liked to train with his father, all right: but with his girlfriend waiting for him in his bedroom? That was _torture!_

"Can't I just take a day off?"  
"Real warriors _don't_ take goddamn days off!" Vegeta growled. "Neither do princes!"

The half-Saiyan scowled, yet he obeyed that time: he knew that when his father played his infamous real-warriors-and-princes-don't-do-that-and-that card, there was no way anyone could change his mind, not even Bulma. Glaring at his father, he folded his arms in silence.

"This is unfair," he mumbled as the door closed behind Vegeta. "Having to train while Marron is-"  
"If she's already disturbing your trainings after one month, then you're in big troubles," the prince snapped.  
"How do you know it's been one month?!"  
"Bra told me."

Trunks' cobalt eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'm going to fucking kill her," he uttered under his breath.  
"You are _not_," Vegeta coldly replied. "You know better than to try to do anything to her."

Trunks sighed: of course he wouldn't _kill_ Bra. He couldn't even pick on her a little like every normal big brother would do to his little sister without the risk of being blasted through a couple of walls by his own father. Vegeta really had no sense of humour when it came to his precious daughter - not that he _actually_ had any sense of humour in any other situation.

"Besides, it does not matter - you cannot let a mere woman disturb your trainings!"  
"Oh, please," Trunks sighed as he leaned against the wall behind him, still gazing at his father. "_You,_ telling _me _that? How ironic."  
"How ironic is that? Nothing can trouble my trainings!" the prince grunted.  
"Nothing can, all right," Trunks said, rolling his sapphire eyes. "That's a lie. Mom can disturb you, you know it as well as I do. In fact, she 'disturbed your training' so well twenty-two years ago that _I _was _born_."

He mentally smirked with satisfaction: he'd love to see Vegeta try and counter that one.

"Well never mind that!" Vegeta scoffed after a short moment of surprise. "You can't dishonour yourself by bedding this ridiculous, stupid random girl!"

The half-Saiyan's eyes narrowed.

"You do realise that according to your own criteria, _you _dishonoured yourself and _mom_'s the ridiculous, stupid rand-"  
"Enough!" Vegeta barked.

Trunks shut his mouth at once: perhaps he had gone a little bit too far.

"Would you spend your whole life with the toaster's daughter?" Vegeta asked rather menancingly.  
"Don't call her that, her name is _Marron_-"  
"Would you?"  
"What does it matter to you? I-I don't know, who _cares_-"  
"I'll take this as a no," the prince snapped, "Which means you have to time to waste on her. That's how we Saiyans work: aside from the one that is truly meant to be yours, no female is allowed to disturb you."  
"What?!" Trunks scoffed. "Holy shit, dad, don't be so old school, try and catch up with your time, will you? Besides, we're on Earth, not on planet Vegeta!"  
"Earth or planet Vegeta," the Saiyan growled, "A prince is still a prince and the rules apply."

Trunks scowled: as a child, he would've done anything for his father's attention. As a young adult... well, on the second thought, he felt that it was actually better when his father minded his own business.

"Does that actually mean mom's the only one?" he asked carefully.  
"Of course," Vegeta replied on an outraged tone, glaring at Trunks. "The first and only one, like it is meant to be in the royal family. Besides, I was an elite warrior who lived only for the challenge of a tough battle and the desire to destroy Frieza, _where_ do you suppose I would've found another female, and _when _do you suppose I would've found any minute to waste on _anyone?_ Every minute I had, every of my breath, every fiber of my being was dedicaced to getting stronger."

Trunks blushed.

"Well I-" he said, "Not like actually _being_ with someone, but I've always figured that Frieza..."

He cleared his throat. Not only was this very embarrassing, but he knew that mentionning Frieza was always a dangerous thing to do. He still remembered Vegeta blowing a fuse when he was a child just because he had asked about the scouter._ Why did I have to bring the topic, why did I absolutely have to bring the fucking topic?!_

"I thought he would've planned some - you know -_ entertainement _for his elite and - well, you know."

Vegeta sneered. The simple thought of having sex with these females was enough to make him sick, not only because it was disgusting to touch these filthy whores, but also because considering the women of the conquered planets as a spoil that could be treated in the most disrespectful way was unworthy of a true warrior. Men, women, children: he'd killed thousands, millions, without any regrets. He did not care about their pain or their death, but to treat innocent, defenceless females like trash after the war, to use their bodies over and over again like the others did?

Never.

"Of course he did, the disgusting bastard," the prince snorted in disdain, "War prisonners. But if you think a prince like _me_ would step as low as having sex with those _filthy_-"  
"All right, all right, I get it, I get it. Can I just go and tell Marron I'll spend the whole day here?"  
"You're dreaming, son," Vegeta grunted.

Trunks sighed heavily, but there was at least a thought in the back of his brain that comforted him: he knew that in a few years, Vegeta would be as severe, if not even more severe, on that point with Bra.

_Finally some justice._

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked.  
"Taking Bra for ice cream or something," Vegeta replied. "For selling you out, but don't even think of going back to Marron - I'll lock the door."

Trunks scowled as the door closed behind his father.

_Just a few years, little sister. I'm gonna absolutely love to see you try and explain him you want to date a guy._

* * *

"Dad, can I ask you something?" Bra asked, flashing him a smile as he was about to grab something in the fridge.

Vegeta frowned at the fifteen-year-old.

"If it's about money, you know that it's your mother you must ask," he replied as he picked an apple. "She's the one taking care of that and if she told you_ no _don't try to bypass that by asking me."  
"No," she said innocently, "It isn't about money - here, I'll wash it for you."

Vegeta's dark eyes narrowed as his daughter took his green apple from his fingers, washed it carefully and gave it back to him. He put the fruit down on the counter, folded his arms and stared at her. If she was being so happy and nice, then it had to be damn important.

"What is it about then?" he finally asked.  
"Well, you see," she started off carefully, "I'm growing up, and-"

The Saiyan lifted one finger to stop her. He didn't like the sound of this.

"If it's anything... _feminine_, you go tell your mother, not _me._ No matter how busy she is."  
"Damn come on, it's not like I don't know about all this stuff all right, I've been having my periods for-"  
"ENOUGH, enough!" he barked, almost covering his eyes. "Just go on with your goddamn question!"

He had changed a lot through the years, but that kind of discussion was absolutely out of question for him. Bra gave him her most innocent smile and her most pleading eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"There's this very, very, _very_ super nice guy who asked me out-"  
"No," Vegeta immediately responded, without even allowing her to finish.  
"- and he wants me to go out watch a movie with him tonight-"  
"No," the prince repeated.  
"- and he'll-"

Bra stopped at once, finally understanding that her father had already refused twice.

"But what for?"  
"You're too young to be going out on dates," he simply replied.  
"But my friends do it!"  
"Oh well I don't actually _care_ about your friends, Bra," Vegeta sneered. "If their fathers let them dishonour themselves then it's not _our_ problem. You are my daughter, a Saiyan princess and I will not allow you to date some random guy."  
"Daaad, I'm _fifteen_, I mean-"

Understanding than being a whiny brat - like her father would said - was surely not going to prove him that she was mature enough to go out with a boy, she decided to use another strategy: the sweet girl act.

"Please," she begged softly, "I won't do anything bad, I'll just go to this movie with him and then he'll bring me back, I'll be back at ten-"  
"You won't be back at ten, since you won't be going out to begin with," Vegeta cut her. "Who's this guy anyway?!"  
"He's a friend of my friend, his name is Kaito he's really nice-"  
"Well that's still a no, so you can call that Kaito guy whatever and tell him that he'll be watching that movie_ alone,_" the prince concluded as he walked away with his apple.

Bra scowled: it was the first time her father had ever refused her something.

"So what does it take?" she snapped, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor. "Do I have to be fourty years old or what?!"  
"That would be absolutely perfect," Vegeta replied slyly, not even looking back at her.

He took one bit of his apple.

"You're _not_ funny!" Bra growled. "I wanna have a life you know!"  
"If you truly want to know - though I doubt it - following Saiyan culture, whoever wants to make you his wife must prove himself worthy of that honour by defeating me, and whoever wants to make you his _mate_ must do the same in order to show how far he can get for you. Now, if your _Kaito_ wants to try that-"  
"This is absolutely ridiculous!" the teenager grunted. "You could take the whole Earth population in a corner and crush them with one blast, how am _I _supposed to find someone who can even last more than two seconds in front of you?"  
"Well, good luck trying," he simply responded, dropping on a couch.

Bra's blue eyes narrowed.

"You know, that basically means the only person I can be with is Goku," she said playfully.

Vegeta grimaced, but did not reply.

Surely she was joking, right?

_RIGHT?!_

**End of the chapter:** Nah don't worry folk I'm not going for a Goku/Bra... 'cause I'm sure Vegeta would find a way to MURDER him anyway if he even dared :P


	47. Daddy's girl

**Chapter 47: Daddy's girl**

Vegeta was heading for his bedroom after taking his shower when his nose caught something - something _very_ interesting. Bulma's perfume, coming from behind the half-closed door. He smiled faintly: perhaps she had just taken her shower, too, and thus had to put it on again. He could imagine her, wearing nothing but a fluffy white towel, her hair wet and wild, tossing her head slightly aside as she sprayed the perfume very lightly on her sensitive neck, a few drops of the divine floral scent slowly going down on her ivory skin, towards the tempting curve of her perfect breast...

The prince pushed the door, and his onyx eyes met with sapphire ones - though not the one he had been expecting to see.

"Bra?"  
"Oh, hey dad," she said with a smile. "What's up?"  
"What are you doing in here?" he asked. "You know you and Trunks aren't-"  
"Arent allowed in your precious sex room except if you're in there and except, if we knock first, yeah," she completed, rolling her blue eyes.

Vegeta glared at her.

"Our - don't talk like that!" he growled. "This isn't - we _sleep_ in here, mind you!"  
"Oh come on, like this is about sleeping! There's Trunks, there's me, and just because the house is so big doesn't mean we're all deaf in here," she sighed.

She blinked several times under her father's outraged expression. She shrugged.

"What? It's not like I don't know about all this stuff!"

Her father's eyes narrowed dangerously. What did she mean, she _knew?!_

"You mean _theory_ of course," he grunted beneath his teeth.  
"Of course," she reassured him, rolling her eyes one more time. "I haven't even kissed a boy yet-"

_You'd better not, I'll blast him to pieces_, Vegeta thought, breathing a bit more freely.

"Besides," his daughter continued, "How do you suppose I could do anything with anyone with you as a father, you won't even let me go watch a _movie_ with a guy!"  
"Well, that's great to know," he mumbled. "You keep it that way."  
"Dad, for heaven's sake... I'm sure if I told you a boy held my hand, you'd cut that hand off him," she scowled.  
"Wrong," Vegeta said, "I'd cut both of them to make absolutely sure it doesn't happen."

She scowled even more and he crossed his arms.

"What were you doing in here anyway?"  
"I just came to retrieve the magazine mom borrowed me like two days ago," Bra replied, showing the fashion magazine as a proof of her words. "I need to make those crazily good looking waves and the instructions are all in there. Now if you'll excuse me, these take forever," she concluded, passing next to him.

Vegeta frowned slightly, his wife's perfume reaching his nose yet again. Clearly Bra was wearing it, but since when?!

"What for?" he asked.  
"Well, since you totally _wasted_ my movie evening with Kaito," she snapped reproachfully, "I figured I would just go shopping with my friends instead."  
"Will he be there?"  
"No, I said I'd go shopping - he's a boy, he hates shopping!" she replied matter-of-factly.  
"So no boys?"  
"No boys, dammit dad."

She kissed his cheek and smiled.

"I'll be back before ten, all right?"

Vegeta nodded absently.

* * *

"Where's Trunks?" Vegeta asked later in the day, noticing that he was alone with Bulma at the table.  
"In his bedroom," she replied, pouring herself a large glass of milk. "He isn't hungry."

Vegeta frowned.

"Isn't hungry? Is he sick or something?"  
"No, he just..."

She sighed.

"The poor thing," she said, bitting her bottom lip. "Marron, she, erm... she sort of dumped him. Two days ago. Something about spending too much time in the GR and too little time with her."  
"She dumped him? _She?! _That worthless android's spawn?!!" Vegeta spat. "He's the one who should've done it!"

Well, at least it proved that he had been right: a Saiyan's true mate_ understood_ his need to train, just like Bulma did for him.

"Won't you show compassion?"  
"No," he replied stubbornly.  
"Well, you see, this is precisely the reason why he didn't tell you," Bulma sighed. "He's kinda mad at you too."  
"What for?" Vegeta asked, blinking in disbelief.  
"Well she left him because he was training too much and didn't take care of her well enough, and since you're the one training him on a daily basis for hours, well, you know. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Vegeta glared at her, and she decided to change the topic:

"Speaking of the children, where's Bra?"  
"Not here, quite obviously."

Bulma rolled her eyes.

"As strange as it may sound, I had figured that one out by myself. So, what's the deal? Don't tell me you actually agreed to let her go on a date with that boy she told me about?"  
"Not in a million years," the prince replied. "But I let her go shopping with her friends."  
"So Bra's shopping right now?"  
"Yeah. Expect the credit card you gave her to be full before the end of the evening."

Bulma crossed her arms on her chest.

"You're _positive_ she went shopping?"  
"Yes," Vegeta replied, irritated.  
"Ok, let's put it that way... she asked for a date, you said no... then _right after_, she innocently asked to go shopping? And you swallowed that?"

Vegeta remained perfectly silent as his mate's words sunk into his brain.

"Since when has Bra given something up so easily? Besides, it's almost nine Vegeta, the boutiques are _closed._ She'd be here."

_Fucking imbecile_.

That sounded so obvious coming from Bulma's mouth, why had he not thought of that by himself? Bra was stubborn, _very_ stubborn. When she wanted something, she asked her mother first: if Bulma said no, she'd come to her father with pleading eyes. And, if, by the most unlikely twist of event, Vegeta refused, too... then she would find a way to get what she wanted by herself. Wasn't it how she _always _worked? He had refused to train her when she was a little child, and she had asked Kakarot.

Tonight, he had refused the date... and she had lied.

_Brat!_

"Godammit," he grunted, getting on his feet at once. "Wait 'til I find her," he growled, opening the huge window.  
"Wait, Vegeta, where are you - don't do that, you'll only-"

He took flight.

"- embarrass her," she concluded in a sigh, though he could not hear her anymore.

* * *

Vegeta had never been so fast at spotting one's energy and darting in the sky towards it. That was _it._ He'd tear off that Kaito's nuts for even thinking he could take his daughter out, and he would lock her inside her bedroom until he took his last fucking breath. What the hell had happened to his dear, innocent child? She had been disrespectful before, all right, like the day she'd told him about Kakarot training her, but never before had she actually lied to him.

And now she was doing it to go on a date with a mere Earthling?!

The Saiyan prince landed silently and gracefully on a roof: his dark eyes narrowed in anger and his heart was filled with fury when he finally spotted her, standing next to a green car with a young man that ought to be that infamous Kaito. Tall, blond with tanned skin, he looked like one of those stupid singer or actor that Bra fancied so much.

_I'm gonna burn down those posters. They have a terrible influence on her tastes._

"You wanna come home?" he asked softly, although Vegeta's sharp ears had no trouble hearing him. "Maybe we could call some pizza and watch another movie or something."

_Something like my fist to your face you dumbass._

"No, thanks," Bra replied, blushing slightly. "I-I'd love to but my dad's gonna be mad if I come back after ten."

_You bet I will be mad! And this isn't even the tip of the iceberg!_

"Oh, erm... then I'll take you home?" he suggested.  
"No, thanks... that's, that's very nice of you, but I'll go back on my own, I don't wanna... to be perfectly honest, my father thinks I went shopping with some friends, so... if he sees you, well, that kinda blows up my cover you know."

_No he doesn't think that anymore you liar!_

"Oh, all right," he said, laughing nervously. "Are you sure you want to go alone? I mean it's pretty late..."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. That guy was _clueless_. Bra had stopped training with him about four or five years ago, she had finally got bored of fighting and found some more feminine hobbies, yet he'd bet his own life that she could kill this guy with ease. She was a Saiyan, dammit!

"Don't worry," Bra said, smiling widely. "I'll be just fine."  
"Ok..."

Kaito hesitated a little, then leaned in to kiss her: surely she wouldn't let him, surely she would throw him on the ground and mock him?

She did not, though she seemed a bit surprised when their lips first met: but then her body relaxed, her eyes closed and her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink that matched her dress very much. Vegeta growled and jumped: his noisy landing interrupted the kiss in the most brutal way.

"Whoa, what the - sir, are you all right?"  
"Get lost!" Vegeta barked. "And you keep your filthy hands off her!" he added when Kaito attempted to hide a very shocked Bra behind him.  
"What in the world... you _followed_ me?!" the teenager scoffed.

Kaito blinked several times.

"Look, if you have a psychotic boyfriend or ex boyfriend or something, I really don't wanna get involved-"  
"B-boyfriend?" Bra repeated. "Not even remotely! That's my _father_."  
"Your father?"

Yeah, right, he was going to buy that: Bra was fifteen, and that guy looked like he was about thirty. So unless he had her at a ridiculously young age, there was no way on heart this was possible. And he didn't look like her at all: she was beautiful, delicate, with cerulean eyes and hair: he was all dark and - Kaito shuddered - anything but _delicate_.

"That's right you little shit, she's my daughter which means YOU GET LOST!"

He did not move - Vegeta did quite know if his stupidity should be mocked, or if his courage should be praised instead.

Probably the first statement.

"You do it," Bra scowled. "I'll handle him."  
"But-"  
"Just shut up and do what I say!" Bra barked.

In the blink of an eye, Kaito's car disappear.

"Dad, what in the world's gotten into you?!"  
"You ask me?! You're the one who - forget it. We're gonna discuss it home. Don't expect your mother to be happy about your little lie either."

He gave her his hand.

"Get a hold of me."  
"No," she said with a hint of defiance in her eyes.  
"You're already in big troubles," he growled, "So you'd better do as I say."

Since she remained motionless, he decided to take the matter in his hands, and seized her in his arms: she gasped in surprise at first, then the scowl was back on her pretty face.

"I don't need you to carry me around, I can fly on my own!" she said, trying to get away from his firm grip.  
"Yes, I see that there is a _lot_ you can do on your own, young lady!" Vegeta spat.

* * *

"Get in your bedroom," Bulma ordered as soon as she saw that they had entered the house.  
"But, mom, just lemme-"  
"First you tried to bypass_ my _refusal by asking Vegeta, then you-"  
"He followed me! And scared the hell out of Kaito, now how am I supposed to explain-"  
"_Then_," Bulma continued as if her daughter hadn't interrupted, "You _lied_ to him to bypass his refusal."  
"Mom, dad, he-" Bra tried, tears coming up her eyes.  
"Enough!"

Bra's face got paler: never had she seen her mother than angry at her.

"We've given you a lot, we seldom refuse you _anything_, especially your father, and this is how you're thanking us? By lying blatantly to our faces?"  
"I didn't - I didn't mean to upset you, I just... I-"  
"Get in your bedroom," Bulma ordered again. "I'm not kidding Bra, we've never punished you before but this is enough. This isn't how we've raised you and I can't tell how disappointed I am by your behaviour tonight so get in your _damn_ bedroom."

Bra stormed out the living room: a few minutes later, a door slammed violently upstairs.

"And _you_," Bulma concluded, glaring at her husband, "Did not need to traumatise that poor guy."

She paused.

"What are you smirking about?"

Before she could blink her eyes, he was in front of her, arms snaking around her thin waist, dark lusting eyes gazing down in hers.

"Do you know how sexy you look when you're mad?" he whispered to her ear, sending chills down her spine.  
"Nope," she said innocently, digging her fingers into his thick hair. "So show me..."

That was something you didn't have to ask him twice: his hands went down and lifted her creamy thighs, pressing their bodies together as their mouths met fiercly. She held herself tight against her husband, moaning in their passionnate kiss.

"Oh my God," she whimpered when he thrusted inside her. "Oh Vegeta don't be a teas-AH!"

He thrusted deeper, sending stars dancing in front of her eyes, but in a good way.

No matter what, it was _always_ in a good way with Vegeta.

**End of the chapter:** Bra, Bra, Bra... what were you THINKING, trying to double-cross VEGETA? :P Hope you folk enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it!!!


	48. Saiyan mates

**Chapter 48: Saiyan mates**

Vegeta sighed heavily. Once again, he found himself facing a Trunks that did not "feel" like training. And, once again, it was because of a stupid female who had decided that he trained too much for her, and that she deserved "better". Well, she could go and pick a weakling for all Vegeta cared, but he would not let her turn her son into one.

Really, this was getting ridiculous to the point that he truly considered locking him inside the Gravity Room permanently.

"This is enough," he scowled to the half-Saiyan. "Snap out of it, you cannot-"  
"Let a mere Earthling disturb me, etc, etc," Trunks replied, his back leaned on the wall and his arms crossed. "I've heard that a thousand times from your mouth already, and it doesn't change the fact that Iris dumped me because you have me spending half of my day in this room. Just like Marron did two years ago, for your information."

Trunks sighed.

"You know, most women aren't like mom, most of them actually mind when their boyfriend spends more time training then being with them."  
"Well then most women aren't suited to be Saiyans' mates, that's all," Vegeta grunted. "You're wasting your time searching, it's not how it works. Fate will bring her to you: until then, you wait in patience."

The prince smirked.

"Don't you worry. Once your paths cross, you'll know it and she won't give up on you for such foolish reasons. Nothing can separate two mates, even if _they_ try to break the bond, they cannot. But until that day-"

Vegeta's sentence would never be finished, as he was interrupted by a knock on the Gravity Capsule's door. The prince frowned: who dared? Bulma and Bra knew that it was unwise to disturb their training, so who the hell had just knocked on the door? Vegeta opened the door, and his dark eyes met with amber ones. They belonged to a young woman with long, wavy dark hair, and a lightly tanned skin. She was bitting her nails nervously, and slightly blushing. She was beautiful, tall, with a slender body: if Vegeta had to pick a single world to describe her, he'd definitely go for "feline".

"Hi, uh... you must be Trunks' father, I guess... Mrs. Briefs said he was there, could I... could I speak to him?"

Her voice, even as hesitant as it was right now, was mellow. She gave Vegeta a timid smile.

"Please, sir? It'll only take a few minutes."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed and she smiled nervously to him. Who the hell was this woman? Was she the one that had dumped Trunks about one week before? Either way, she was out of her tiny mind if she thought she could just flash him a smile to interrupt their training like that.

"Well you definitely have some nerves," he growled. "To even _think_ you could dare-"  
"It's ok," Trunk's voice said from behind him.

He ducked to pass under his father's arm, staring at the young woman with his arms crossed. He bit his bottom lip, a gesture that he had copied from his mother.

"What is it, Iris?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound neutral.  
"Not here, if you don't mind," she said, glancing up at Vegeta whose eyes were still throwing daggers at her.

Both of them walked a bit further, away from Vegeta's ears - or so they believed. He kept glaring at them from the Gravity Room's doorframe. If she had dumped him, why was she coming back? To rub it to his face? Hadn't she done enough damage already?

"So uh..." she started off hesitantly, glancing up at the half-Saiyan. "You... you ok?"  
"What?" he scoffed. "Am I - Geez, are you for real? Am I _ok?!_ For Kami's sake, are you out of your mind?"  
"I'm sorry," Iris quickly said. "I-I didn't mean it like it, it's just, uh, well, I didn't know how to bring it, you know, it's kinda... I-I'm not."  
"You're not what?" he asked, having lost track of what she was actually saiying in all that hesitation.

He was almost starting to regret he hadn't let his father force her to leave. She was so beautiful, even in the sadness she had caused him, even after taking his heart and crushing it between her fingers: he wanted nothing else than to grab her, kiss her, and lose himself in her again, but he couldn't. Not anymore, she had decided otherwise.

Well... physically, of course, he could. Of course he could force her to do anything he wanted, he could make her suffer if he wanted, he could pin her down to the ground anytime and take everything he wished from her. He wouldn't even have to try: he had been training ever since he was a young child, he had inherited his father's royal Saiyan blood, while she was a fragile, delicate human. But such thoughts would never cross his mind: no matter how cruel she had been to him, he couldn't even bring himself to _wish_ she could suffer.

He wanted Iris happy, even without him.

"I'm... I'm not ok," she finally said. "Not without you. Trunks, I... I miss you."

Trunks glared at her. Was she mocking him, or was she sincere about it? He was absolutely not in the mood to be toyed with.

"You're the one who made this happen, remember?" he snapped bitterly.  
"I know, I shouldn't have. I'm, I'm sorry."  
"_Sorry?_" he repeated. "Well that definitely makes me feel a lot better."

He took one step backward.

"Thanks for coming and saying something _that _important," he said rather coldly.  
"N-no, please!"

Iris grabbed Trunks' training shirt with her shaking hands.

"I shouldn't have, I was stupid but now I know, I _know_ I just cannot live without you, please don't let me-"

_Even if they try to break the bond, they cannot,_ Vegeta's voice repeated in his mind. Trunks glanced down at her. She seemed honest about it, tears even coming up her beautiful amber eyes as she begged him: then was she truly...?

"Please, Trunks," she pleaded, "I'm sorry I hurt you, I-"

Iris gasped in surprise when he captured her lips and pressed her body against his muscles, forgetting everything that surrounded them, from the compound with so many windows from where his sister could be spying on them and giggling, to his father standing in the Gravity Room's doorframe with daggers in his dark eyes. Trunks pushed her against a huge tree, and she dug her fingers into his thick, silky hair. Not breaking the passionnate kiss that was bringing both of them back to life, not even once separating their burning mouths, Iris wrapped her perfect legs around Trunks' waist, and her adventurous fingers wandered under his belt.

"Oh God Iris," the half-Saiyan grunted, pushing his hips to meet with her hand.

Some ten metres away, Vegeta's eyes had surprisingly... softened. The scene before his eyes would've been disgusting, had it not looked so perfect.

_Well, what do you know. He's found her after all._

His arms still crossed, Vegeta headed back for the house: one day off - just _one_ - wouldn't turn his son into a weakling, after all.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed when he heard Bra's voice.

"Holy cow," she uttered under her breath, before starting to giggle - a _lot_. "Now _that's _what I call make-up sex-"  
"Oh really?" he growled in her back.

The seventeen-year-old gasped in surprise and turned from the window she was using to spy on Trunks and Iris' um, _hot_ reunion. She flushed, though he could see her strugging to refrain her giggling.

"Uh well, I- it's not what you think..." she managed to say.  
"Oh, of course not," he sneered, rolling his eyes. "So you weren't spying on your brother?"

He closed the curtains with one hasty move.

"Oh all right, but just a little, it won't hurt to learn some tricks - don't look at me like that," she scowled at Vegeta's more than outraged face. "I was just kidding!"  
"Well I certainly hope you were!"

She rolled her blue eyes. Her mother had finally convinced her father to allow her to date, under the back-before-ten-only-in-a-public-place-and-of-course-nothing-more-than-holding-hands condition, but really, what was he worrying about? Any boy who would even merely catch a glimpse of Vegeta - and he made damn sure they did see him before leaving with his daughter - wouldn't even dare to _think_ about going further with her. They all have that (quite justified) fear that Vegeta would break their sorry necks in the blink of an eye if they even let their hand _wander off_ a little.

"Oh, Geez, not that again," she sighed, "Look I don't know what you're freaking out about, I haven't done nothing wrong with anyone. I'm about to turn into the city's oldest virgin, thanks to you. What about sending me into a convent while you're at it?"  
"Don't tempt me," Vegeta replied, smirking.  
"Dad, come on! God, I can't believe it," she mumbled. "You're impossible!"

She walked out the living room with her head held very high, and Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Well, well, well," a voice purred into his ear as arms snaked around his waist. "Did you lose your path to the Gravity Room, my prince?"  
"And _your_ path to _your_ laboratory, Mrs. CEO?" he replied with a smirk.  
"Lost it when I heard you upstairs..."

A light whimper escaped her lips when he pushed her against the bookcase that had been so mistreated during their many years of passion, and Vegeta's mouth kissed her sensitive neck, slowly breathing in her magical sense, but something felt different. He frowned. Something was not right. He glanced up at her, quickly enough to catch a glimpse of her grimace.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She simply nodded, but he could feel that her body was tense.

"Did I hurt you?"

Bulma shook her head.

"I'm not stupid woman," Vegeta growled.  
"Well I'm... yes, but I know you didn't mean to..."

She blushed.

"I'm getting more fragile I suppose, my bones and all that, you know... it's not your fault - just be more gentle with little old me," she finished, joking a little.

_Little old me._ She meant to make it sound like a joke, like it was nothing important, but the words sank quite painfully in her husband's mind. He's hurt her by doing what he had done so many times before? It had never happened. Never in so many years had he hurt her - well not physically at the very least. Vegeta moved both of them away from the bookcase and held her tightly, with the utmost care, stroking her blue hair softly. He closed his eyes and she smiled faintly against his chest.

Time was catching up with her, and he wished he could be as serene as she was about it.

**End of the chapter:** *chin trembling* only two *sniffes* chapters to *start having wet eyes* go! *burst into tears*


	49. The prince's memories

_Author's rant IS BACK BABY: Ok now you're having this chapter too with the last one because it was meant to be chapter 48, but then I changed my mind (obviously...) and decided it would be 49 instead. So I finished it, kept it under my arm, wrote the actual 48, and bam, I'm giving both of them to you know ^^ comboooo! If you want to listen to something while reading it, DO listen to "Indelible" by Brooke Fraser, heck there is even a V/B AMV on Youtube called "Change in me" with that song! :D_

**Chapter 49: The prince's memories**

"Hello there."

Bulma's heart skipped a beat when she heard Vegeta's voice in her ear: she quickly turned on her chair, managing to throw him an irritated glare.

"Gosh, Vegeta, don't sneak on me like that-"  
"You're really jumpy," he said with a cunning smile. "And you've had that one coming for about fourty years."  
"You _were_ jumpy," Bulma replied with a scowl on her face. "You could've heard me or sensed me coming near the bathroom anyway, whereas I am a poor defenceless scientist working in her laboratory."

She paused.

"And I can't believe you remember that day. It's been so long-"  
"Well, it's hard to forget you drooling all over the place," he replied slyly.

She punched his arm - very lightly, or else she would surely hurt herself. Vegeta's muscles were harder than iron - not to mention that her bones were getting more fragile with time.

"Oh all right, you looked handsome in that bath..."

She caressed his cheek.

"And you still are. My handsome Saiyan..."

She felt an iron hand clutching around her heart, and she looked away from him, her eyes wandering back on the papers she was filling before his interruption.

"I've got to finish this... there's still a lot for me to do before Bra can take over Capsule Corporation, the whole database is a mess and-"

Bulma sighed. Chichi had died about one month before, and surely she did not have much time left, either. She did not fear death: she had never feared it. But seeing how his wife's death had affected Goku, she wondered what would happen of Vegeta. The happy, cheerful Son Goku was no more, so how would the not-that-happy, not-that-cheerful Vegeta react?

"Promise you'll be happy," she whispered.

Vegeta frowned, not understanding what she meant - or not _wanting_ to understand it. She got on her feet, her shaking hands touching his arm as she looked at him right into the eyes:

"P-promise you won't be like Goku... you've still got so many years ahead of you, whereas I, I..."

Her voice broke.

"Stop it," he ordered very firmly, taking her face between his hands. "Don't talk like that, don't you _dare_."  
"But, Vegeta, I'm-"  
"In perfect health," he cut her. "So I don't see why you speak to me like you're going to die tomorrow."  
"I did not mean to," Bulma replied. "I just... I just don't want you to be like Goku, he's so sad every day, he barely speaks to anyone-"  
"When have I done anything like that clown?" the prince asked, arching an eyebrow.

Bulma's lips curved into a faint smile.

"You've got a point there," she murmured, and he held her extremely tight.

His words were meant to reassure her, not to speak the truth. Though he did not have any intention to end up like this imbecile after his wife's death... there was truly no telling. Saiyans males were not typically the ones to outlive their mates: they were, after all, constantly fighting while the females stayed safely home. They were not made to deal with any kind of emotional situation, so the loss of their loved one... they truly did not _know_ how to face it. It was not written in their genes to be the survivor, the one left alone. When the female was only your wife it was easy: but when she was your _mate_...

_Well, come on now. I'm surely not as pathetic as Kakarot, am I?_

"I love you," he whispered.

_Don't leave me. Don't leave me just yet..._

Why in hell had she refused immortality?

* * *

If he tried hard enough, it looked a lot like their wedding day.

Tables all around the backyard. Everyone they knew gathered in the same place, wearing formal attire. Bulma was even wearing a white dress.

But, still... it was different today.

No noisy woman had yelled at him to try and force him to take off his armour and wear Earthling clothes.

And Bulma hadn't ordered her to leave him alone.

In normal conditions, everyone should've been rushing at him to shake his hand and give him their sympathy: needless to say, anyone that knew Vegeta, even just a little, knew better than to bother him with "sympathy", especially today. The prince slowly caressed her cold cheek, and his mind was overwhelmed with memories.

_"Oh my God, Vegeta!"_

_Warm arms were wrapped around his injured body, and he glared at their owner._

_"It's all right, I'll-"_  
_"I don't need you, pathetic woman," he spat, struggling to stand up and get the hell away from her cursed grip. "Leave me alone and take care of your damn invention, I am the prince of all Saiyans, I-"_  
_"Yes, yes," Bulma said, glaring back at him, "We get it already. But even the mightly prince of all Saiyans is made of blood and flesh, you know? I'll take care of the Gravity Room after you, don't worry."_  
_"I... don't... need..."_

_Darkness claimed him before he could finish his sentence._

* * *

_One push up._

_Pain through his burned arms. He gritted his teeth._

_Another push up._

_Pain through his scarred chest. He grimaced._

_Another push up._

_It felt as though one of his ribs had just gone through a lung. His whole face twisted in pain._

_"You are in no condition to train!" she shouted at him through her oversize plasma screen. "Get the hell out of there and get back in your damn bed!"_  
_"Shut up!" he shouted back, still doing his exercices. "Don't you dare order me around!"_  
_"Oh well all right, mighty prince, whatever floats your BOAT, but what good will it do to you to kill yourself while training, uh?"_  
_"Leave-me-alone!"_  
_"Don't be so freaking childish, you need rest Vegeta, your body-"_

_He growled, what in the world did she know about a Saiyan's body anyway? One well-aimed energy blast took care of the plasma screen, and both her face and voice disappeared._

_"Stupid woman," he uttered under his breath._

* * *

_"What in the world is all that?" Vegeta said as she entered his bedroom, arms full of bottles and bandages._  
_"Well, hello tough guy, I put you some bandages and all while you were unconscious, but they won't change themselves, so just sit there and-"_  
_"You must be kidding! I am not a weakling, I don't need your stupid bandages and retarded medication!"_  
_"Sure, sure," she said, annoyed. "Look, you'll be back to health much faster like that, and besides, if you don't-"_

_He scowled and sat on his bed._

_"Give it to me," he ordered, "And get the hell out of here."_  
_"But-"_  
_"I can at least do it on my own, I am not a child!" the prince shouted._  
_"I never said anything like that," she replied softly, sitting next to him on the bed and putting her stuff on the pillow._

_She put her hand on his arm, very lightly: he moved back, like the wounded wild animal that flinches under the veterinary's touch._

_"Calm down, I don't want to hurt you, I just want you to heal quickly."_

_He did not speak: taking this silence as a permission to go on, she started taking off the first bandage on his arm. She then put some cold gel on his burned skin and, very slowly, with the tip of her delicate finger, she started to massage him so it would penetrate the wound. He studied every of her move and her face with attention._

_"So, what's your hidden agenda?"_

_Bulma frowned._

_"My what?"_  
_"Your true intentions," he said, rather impatiently. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?"_  
_"W-why would I want anything?"_

_The prince snorted._

_"Frieza saved my life so I could work for him, for instance. Anyone helping me in my life had some sort of selfish desire, so what's yours? You can't be any different."_  
_"Well, I am," Bulma replied. "I want nothing from you. I just... I just want to help you."_

_Vegeta frowned._

_"Why? Why would you care that much about someone who would not hesitate in killing you?"_  
_"Because someone has to," she simply responded, moving one to another bandage. "And if you wanted to kill me, wouldn't I be dead by now?"_

"Hey," Goku's low voice said next to him, bringing him back to reality.

Vegeta scowled. Everyone had understood that it was better to leave him alone - well, clearly _everyone_ did not include Kakarot.

"What do you want?" he asked roughly.  
"I-I just... I just wanted to tell you that..."

Goku hesitated, then put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder.

"I know how you feel," he finished off awkwardly. "When Chichi died, I-"

That was _it._ He'd kill that fucking clown.

"Oh you know how I feel, really?" Vegeta shouted, shrugging his hand away and attracting many offended eyes towards him. "How would _you_ know, Kakarot, the only person who's ever known me is laying there in front of us! You're nothing, nothing, _nothing,_ am I making myself clear about how little you represent to me? You're not even a friend of mine, while she was everything!"

He pushed the other Saiyan. People were retreating to the house, fearing the worse - nothing good could happen if the two most powerful beings in the Universe started to get mad at each others.

"Don't you dare compare what I had with Bulma with your meaningless relationship with that harpy!" Vegeta growled in a very threatening manner. "Don't you fucking dare, Kakarot! We were _mates, _brought together by fate, whereas _you_ are so clueless that you did not even know what you were talking about when you proposed her! So I'm telling you, Kakarot, if you ever insult us again by bringing such a ridiculous-"

Though he usually did not respond to Vegeta's aggression, this time Goku did, pushing the prince just like he had been pushed himself.

"You bastard - you call _me_ clueless? Well now that's just _rich_ Vegeta! Chichi, I..."

Goku's voice broke, and he took a deep breath.

"I loved her," he continued, his voice shaking, "With every fiber of my being and it cut me like a _knife_ when she died! And every morning when I wake up, the knife is pushed deeper into my flesh because she isn't _there_. She won't be there anymore, Vegeta, there's nothing I can do about it and it's killing me."

Vegeta bit his tongue: he felt exactly the same, but he'd die before telling Kakarot.

He had lost his mate, but he still had his pride.

"Well the knife won't stay long into _my_ flesh," he snapped.  
"How can you say that? I thought you said-"  
"Oh I know what I said all right, but just because you are surprisingly retarded doesn't mean we all are."

He pointed the sky.

"Dragon Balls, you imbecile. I can wish her back - do as you please with your own mate, I don't care."  
"Wish her back? B-but you can't, Vegeta! It's against the rules!"

_"At one point our time is just over. Please don't try and go against this..."_

Vegeta smirked. He'd do it no matter what Bulma had said, no matter what the clown said too. He did not care. He wanted her, he'd have her back.

"We'll see about that," he said.  
"No, Vegeta, I... I mean it."

The prince frowned, and Goku looked at his feet to avoid his gaze.

"She... she died naturally, didn't she?"

_"Bulma!"_

_He caught her before she fell on the ground, but instead of smiling in a grateful way, she grimaced as though she was very much in pain. Her blue eyes filled up with tears, but she still managed to smile faintly at him. The hand that had clutched on her heart slowly, shakingly moved up to touch his cheek._

_"Farewell... my prince..."_  
_"Bulma... Bulma? Bulma!"_

"Yes," he reluctantly replied between his teeth, walking away.

As natural as it could be for a Saiyan's mate to die thirty years before him, that is.

"Then there is nothing even Shenron can do about it," Goku said. "Don't you think I would've done it? But it's not how it works. The Dragon cannot... bring them back to us. You can't wish back someone whose time was over, Vegeta."

He paused.

"I'm sorry."

The prince froze. This had been his hope, his ray of light in a sea of darkness, the only thing that had allowed him to keep his head high... and now the clown was telling him that it was impossible?

Truly, Kakarot really knew how to break him, even when he did not mean to do it.

**End of the chapter:** Now my friends if you listened to the song lemme tell you a little something I didn't tell in my rant 'cause it sort of would've spoiled you: I actually STARTED writing the chapter by listening to it, and I was like "Damn it fits so well", but then somewhere in the middle of the first scene I started crying so much (yes crying at my own stuff I KNOW I'M PATHETICALLY EMOTIONAL OK? XD) that I couldn't even see what the heck I was writing, so I stopped XD kinda fitted to much to write the whole thing while listening at it, honestly...


	50. Partners forever

**Chapter 50: Partners forever**

Vegeta sighed very lightly, staring blankly at the ceiling. Every morning it was harder for him to leave his bed, not because he had lost all will to do anything like that stupid Kakarot, but because his body was changing now. His physical aging had begun a few weeks ago, when he had spotted a stray of snow-white hair into his usually perfectly dark flame-shaped hair. Then everything had followed: fatigue, painful articulations, tensed and tired muscles even when he did not do anything special. He had been pushing his body his whole life, but now that time was catching up with him, his body was making him pay all those years of drastic training.

Vegeta knew what it meant: his time was almost over. Quite frankly, he did not care. Even if he had Trunks and Bra around, life without Bulma had no flavour at all. It was plain. Gray. Boring. To make a short story, it wasn't worth living at all. Sitting in the bed he had shared with his mate for so many years, he glanced up at his reflection in the mirror. He hadn't changed that much, actually. Even when they started their physical aging, Saiyans did not change that much.

If you forgot the fact that his hair was all white now.

"Hey dad," Bra said cheerfully as he stepped in the kitchen. "No, don't," she said, lightly tapping his fingers with the spatula she was holding when he tried to open the fridge. "Just have a seat, I'm making some French toasts for everybody."

He did not move, glaring at her in what was meant to be an offended way.

"I said _have a seat_, dad," she ordered, glaring back at him and pointing the table.

Vegeta gave her a faint smile, shook his head, but obeyed. She looked so much like her mother, it was almost painful for him to look at her now - and she even had the same authority over him. It had to be genetic or something.

Trunks looked at his father with the corner of his blue eyes. Even if he pretented to be just fine, since he wasn't "a damn over-emotional imbecile like that clown", Trunks knew it was not true. Vegeta had changed since Bulma had died. He had never been the most opened-up person in the world or the one that spoke the most around the table - quite the opposite actually - but it had been worse those last twenty years. He reminded him of the man he was when he was only a little child himself: colder, more bitter. Silencious and serious. Vegeta barely reacted when his two grandsons dropped on their chairs.

"Here you go, careful over there-" Bra said, coming with a huge plate topped by at least a hundred French toasts. "Super-yummy French toasts for everybody that I love - but you can have some too, Trunks. I give you permission."

The half-Saiyan rolled his blue eyes as Iris did her best not to laugh. She and Bra had become very good friends through the years.

"Thank you so much, Bra," he said, glaring at her. "You didn't put poison in there now did you?"  
"You'll have to worry about poison the day I will cook something _only_ for you," she slyly replied with a cunning smile.

Vegeta's dark eyes glanced up at the ceiling briefly. He was bored, really bored, but it was only a matter of days now.

_Crazy and noisy mornings. You would've loved this..._

* * *

His arms crossed in his signature posture, Vegeta walked in the huge office. Everything was the same: except that, this time, his death had not occured in the middle of thousands of murders, thus, for _once_, he did not have to take the queue. Yemma smiled faintly at him before glancing down at his oversized book.

"Prince Vegeta - _again_," he said. "Are you making a contest with Goku or something?"  
"Cut the crap, will you?"  
"Heart attack... well, it definitely proves you had one," King Yemma joked.

Vegeta growled, and Yemma nodded:

"All right, go on, Vegeta, you are free to go wherever you wish. However..."

Yemma bent over his desk, and Vegeta could swear he had winked at him.

"I suggest you make Heaven's gardens your first destination."  
"This place is boring," the prince scowled. "I want to train, it's been months."  
"Do as you wish. But I ensure you, you will not be disappointed. The view is... breath-taking."

As soon as he was sure that Vegeta was too far away to hear him, Yemma called:

"Baba!"  
"What is it again?" the old witch said, floating on her crystal ball as usual.  
"Take Bulma Briefs' body to the gardens, will you?"

She frowned.

"What for?"  
"Well, for Vegeta's reward, of course."  
"Vegeta's..."

Baba scoffed.

"You kept her for that thick-headed Saiyan?!"  
"Yes," he replied, glaring at her. "It is the gift given to the Saiyans who prove themselves worthy of this ultimate reward - eternity with their mate."  
"But, but... this is ridiculous, none of them deserve that much!"

Yemma slammed his hand on his desk, his eyes throwing knives at her.

"Oh but they both do, I'm afraid! For creating the Dragon Radar that saved the world so many times, for caring deeply and sincerly about a man that did not give a damn about anyone, including herself, for helping him when no one would, for making him atone for his numerous murders, for melting his icy heart: Bulma Briefs deserves to spend the eternity with her mate."  
"But Vegeta," Baba insisted. "Would it be Goku, I would be more than glad to agree, but _Vegeta_-"  
"Vegeta deserves this as much as Goku, if not more. It is easy to be good your whole life when it's all you've ever known, but to be raised in coldness and finally learn love, to commit millions of murders and then atone, to become good when all you've ever known and learned is being evil... that is what makes Vegeta so worthy, Baba. _Now_," he concluded, "Bulma's body, to the gardens. Vegeta is much faster than you and I doubt you want to make him wait. As much as he has changed, the man is still quite impatient."

* * *

Vegeta reluctantly entered Heaven's gardens. It was a beautiful place, all right - if you liked walking around without any purpose, surrounded by flowers, glass and trees, that is. Since it had never been the prince's cup of tea, he truly wondered why in the world he had been urged by Yemma to go there first.

_The view's breath-taking. Who cares, really!_ Vegeta mentally grunted, walking down a sand path, already bored out of his damn mind.

But then he froze. Had his heart still been beating, it would've stopped right now, without any doubt.

He could see a young woman sitting under a huge tree. She was turning her back on him, but that silhouette... blue hair that barely brushed her shoulders, perfect fair skin...

"Bulma?"

His voice was rough, hesitant: the name felt rusted in his mouth. It had been so long since he'd spoken it, but this couldn't be her, could it? That woman clearly had a body, you had to have saved the world or something like that to deserve this reward. Bulma did not really qualify for this. The woman's head slowly turned upon hearing the name, and then everything faded to the background for Vegeta. Beautiful face with elegant features, stricking blue eyes and inviting lips.

_Bulma._

She was there, smiling at him, the younger version of his mate, the one that had pissed him off royally, then changed him completely. The one who tamed him and bore his two children.

Every fiber of his being wanted to run and hug her, yet he dared not move a single muscle. What if it was only an illusion, what if it was some kind of a sick joke? It'd be like losing her again.

"Vegeta!"

Not even an illusion could be speaking his name like this, right? It sounded too perfect, too real. Tears rolling down her pale cheeks, she got on her feet and jumped in his arms, her arms locking around his neck as she held him tighter than ever before. She was there, she was real, touching him: and he could touch her back. He closed his arms around her and deeply breathed in, taking in the scent that he had missed so much. He felt something wet on his cheek, and he knew it wasn't Bulma's tears. It was his, though he hadn't cried for so many years, though he had not even actually cried when she had died. He had hold it all inside, like he always did: but now, as he held her after twenty long years, while she should not even be there, he couldn't anymore.

"How come... how come you have...?" he started.  
"I..."

She shook her head, still refusing to let go of him.

"I don't know, I didn't when I died, I was in Heaven but I didn't have a body, until now..."

Vegeta slightly frowned. So Bulma did not have her body until he died? They said Saiyans mates were partners forever, was that what it meant? That they should be partners even in death?

He shook his head. Screw the explanations, really, he did not care. She was there, he could talk to her, touch her, love her: it was all that mattered right now.

Plus, if this was some kind of mistake, he was _certainly_ not the one that would be pointing it out to Yemma.

"I've missed you, woman," he whispered, his fingers caressing her wet cheek softly.  
"The same here," she murmured back, digging her fingers into his now white, still flame-shaped hair.

He captured her lips with his own, and she softly moaned against his mouth: it had been so long, so very long, she had almost forgotten how good it felt. Even when she was still alive, he had to go easier on her at the end. She was old and fragile in her last years: now she was dead anyway and, though she did not quite understand why, she had been given back her youth.

"Oh Vegeta," Bulma sighed when he made them fall on the green grass, pressing his firm body against her.

Her hurried hands pulled his shirt, partly tearing it apart in the process: she wanted this, she wanted this so bad it almost hurt. She wanted him pressed against her, she wanted him inside her, she _needed_ it. It felt like centuries had gone by since the last time Vegeta and her had made love, especially so fiercely. A long moan escaped her lips when she finally felt Vegeta inside her, and she moved her hips to meet with his deep thrusts, begging for more at each of his fierce, almost brutal move. It was a passion as burning and violent as the one that had driven their first times that drove him right now, and yet wasn't enough, it wouldn't be enough before they'd spend the eternity making love like this: she had missed it so much...

Bulma's voice echoed around delightfully as her back arched abruptly: he grabbed her hips more firmly as he thrusted one last time, leaning in to kiss her passionately.

"I love you," she purred to his ear.

He smirked at her.

"So, _woman_," he said playfully, "You think you can make me a Gravity Capsule in here?"

She punched his stomach lightly.

"You jerk," she said, trying to look mad even though she was looking rather amused and was still breathing heavily.

She inverted their positions, lowering her head to nibble his ear as her hips started to move yet again, more slowly this time.

"All right, I guess it can wait a little," he said, his smirk growing bigger.

Vegeta's hand caressed Bulma's cheeks.

"After all, we've got the eternity ahead of us..."

**End of the story:** Daaaah Geez yes it's over :D No actually I'm kinda sad, but proud at the same time, if you know what I mean. So, everyone, thank you, thank you SO much for all your support, may it be through reviews, PMs, or even simply by favouriting (is that even a word?!) and putting my story under alert, any of this really showed me that people were truly reading AND enjoying what I was writing, and it honestly kept me going through the... FIFTY CHAPTERS! Yeah baby! Never thought I could write something that long and finish it properly :D of course I'd like to have your feedbacks on that last (*sniffes because her story is over*) chapter, I'll still reply even though the story is over because I can't help it, I'M A RANTING OLD LADY :P hey, by the way, if you're interesting, I'm gonna start another V/B soon, it's gonna be basically what I intended to do with Addiction when I started... as much as I love Addiction (hey yeah baby I'm so proud of myself right now), I kinda got carried away a LITTLE (XD) and it's not what I had in mind when I started SO... one more time, Vegeta and Bulma's story ;)


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